


Roommates

by twin192



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-13
Updated: 2015-12-17
Packaged: 2018-04-14 11:59:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 62,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4563816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twin192/pseuds/twin192
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beca, 19, a freshman is new at Barden University and meets her new roommate Chloe, 21, also a freshman. They click instantly and become fast friends. But what is Chloe hiding? Why is she crying so often when she thinks nobody's noticing? What did she do for two years before going to college? AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Beca was on the way to her new dorm room at Barden University, trying to carry all of her luggage up the stairs at once. The rest of her stuff should have already been delivered to her room. It was going well so far, but Beca was sure her clumsiness would show up soon enough. She had three bags hanging from her shoulders and two big boxes, which held her DJ equipment in her arms. She couldn’t really see anything but since she was on the stairs and the only direction she had to go was up, she figured she would be safe for now. If anybody would come down the stairs they would surely see her and speak up or something. Her dorm was only on the third floor, so it wasn’t that far.

She arrived on the landing of the third floor and was about to congratulate herself for mastering the stairs without incident when the door directly in front of her was pushed open and a figure slammed into her. She stumbled around and tried desperately to save the boxes with her DJ equipment. She leaned against the wall to her right and managed to balance all of her luggage. Before she could open her mouth to start shouting some serious insults in the direction of the rude person who nearly made her fall down the stairs, a flash of blonde hair rushed past her down the stairs without an apology or even a glance. A red flash ran passed her just as fast as the blonde had before it, but this flash of red hair had way better manners.

“I’m sorry! We are really late! I hope everything is fine! I would normally help you carry your stuff, but …”

Before the red flash, a red haired girl, she assumed because of the lovely voice she heard, had finished her sentence it abruptly cut off as the door to the dorm building three floors down slammed shut with a loud bang.

What the…. Beca thought. The people here seem really rude. Well, at least one of them apologized.

Trying to forget the encounter with the rude blonde and the red headed girl she made her way down the hall towards her new dorm room. 

Her father told her she had to share the room with somebody because there were no single rooms for freshmen. If you were a senior there were a few single rooms available but they were very hard to get. She couldn’t even think about getting a single room until she was at the University for at least a year, so she just hoped her roommate would be a decent person. If not she would have to speak to her father again. She knew that they made a deal and if she wanted to start her DJ career in LA she had to stay at Barden for at least a year and 'immerse herself in the whole college experience'. She wasn't sure what her father meant by that, but she would try and fly under the radar, go to the necessary amount of college classes and make mixes. Nothing more. She had to prepare some awesome mixes if she wanted to impress the producers in LA. 

Arriving at her door, Beca struggled to put down the boxes in her hands and searched for her room key. She finally managed to put the key into the lock and open the door. She got her boxes and went into the room. Moving to an empty desk to her right she put her boxes down on it and started to take the room in. 

She started with her side of the room, or what she assumed was her side because there was literally nothing there except for a bed, a dresser, a desk and a chair. She noticed some boxes that must have been delivered already under her desk. The boxes held mostly clothes and shoes. Everything else, her laptop, her DJ equipment and some pictures of her mom and her grandma she brought with herself today. She couldn't stay apart from these things for long so she held onto them until her grandmother put her into a cab straight to Barden.

Beca noticed some clothes that were definitely not hers on her bed and started to turn around to take in the other half of the room.

She let out a loud groan at the sight before her. 

Why me? She thought while putting a hand before her eyes to get rid of the sight in front of her. Why do I always have to have the worst luck? Can't I at least have a roommate with a little bit of taste?

After standing in the middle of her room with closed eyes for two minutes Beca started to feel silly and opened her eyes again. 

Pink walls.

A bed with a lot of cushions. A wall full of pictures. Clothes were literally everywhere, on the chair in front of the desk, on the floor before the bed, under the bed, on the computer that stood on the desk. 

Why did she have to get such a girl as her roommate? The room practically screamed happy colors and girly comfort in the form of a lot of cushions and stuffed animals.

She would have preferred anything different, even a silent asian girl who would do nothing but glare at her all day would be better than this. 

I just hope she doesn't want to play make up with me and talk about boys while we lounge around in our pajamas and get our nails done.

Beca shuddered lightly at the thought and decided to ignore the situation with her roommate for now.

She turned back around to her side of the room and was about to start unpacking a few things, namely her laptop and DJ equipment to start the long year at Barden with a good mix when her eyes fell on the clock on the wall next to the door. It was already 4 pm. While they talked on the phone the day before to arrange the last necessary things for Becas move to Barden University, her father said something about having to prepare some things for the upcoming classes he had to teach but being finished at around 4 pm and checking up on her by then. 

Beca hastily grabbed her bag with her wallet and iPod in it and rushed out of the room. She really didn't want to talk to her father. Not now. Well, she preferred not talking to him at all but if she wanted to move to LA she had to at least be civil to him. But if I'm not there when he comes round there won't be a need to act civil.

She arrived at the front door to the dorms and went outside. She pulled out her iPod and put her Headphones on while walking around for a little bit. She noticed a lot of people were walking around. There were a few stands where people with flyers tried to hand them out to anyone who walked close enough to get one shoved into their hands.

This must be the activities fair Beca thought. I have read about it in the information brochures the University send me after my father applied me here. Maybe I'll find something interesting here. My father said something about applying to at least one club. So let's see what Barden's got to offer.

Beca continued around the activities fair for about fifteen minutes but nothing grabbed her interest. The closest thing she could find was a DJ stand. Sadly said DJ stand was a club for deaf jews. Who even thinks about clubs like that? And why couldn't they at least use a dfiferent name? I nearly got my hopes up. Beca thought with a slight pout on her face.

She was just about to turn around and go back to her dorm to start unpacking when she caught a flash of red in the corner of her eyes. 

She stopped her movement and turned around to see properly what, or better who caught her interest. 

A read headed girl with the warmest smile and the bluest eyes Beca had ever seen was standing next to an uptight looking blonde and handing out flyers.

She was happily talking to everyone who walked past her. Beca couldn't help but stare at the breathtaking red head. Said staring continued for a few seconds until the moment the uptight looking blonde girl next to the red head nudged her friend in the ribs and pointed directly at Beca. Beca's eyes widened and she was just about to turn tail and run as fast as she could but a loud and cheerful “Hey!” stopped her in her tracks. 

Embarrassment colored Beca's cheeks a lovely shade of red as the blonde and red headed girls came over to where she stood. Beca slipped her Headphones around her neck and paused her music.

The red headed girl started talking at once.

“Hey! My name is Chloe. My friend Aubrey here noticed you staring at us. Do you want to join our A capella group? I'm new here myself but my friend says it's a lot of fun. She has been a part of the Barden Bellas for two years now and after all the things she told me about it it sounds awesome! So, any interest?”

The red head, Chloe Beca reminded herself, was practically vibrating with energy and bouncing up and down on her feet. She really seemed excited about the idea of Beca joining her club. Not wanting to look like a staring wierdo any longer Beca decided to say something.

“Oh right. So this is like, a thing now. ”

“Oh totes. We sing covers of songs but we do it without any instruments. It’s all from our mouths, at least that's what Aubrey said. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure it's lots of fun.”

Beca looked at Chloes happy smile and twinkling blue eyes but couldn't bring herself to react in any positive way.

“Sorry, its just, it’s pretty lame”

Before Chloe could open her mouth the blonde girl, Aubrey, quickly rushed in.

“A-ca-scuse me? Synchronized lady dancing to Mariah Carey chart topper is not lame.”

Chloe put a calming hand out in front of Aubrey, who looked like she wanted to pounce on Beca any second now and quickly cut in.

“The Bellas sing all over the world and compete in national championships.”

Beca couldn't help herself and raised one eyebrow in disbelief. “On purpose?”

“We played the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, you bitch!” Aubrey yelled and shot daggers at Beca with her eyes.

“What Aubrey means to say is that the Bellas are a close-knit, talented group of ladies who's dream is to return to the national finals at Lincoln Center this year. Help us turn this dream into a reality?”

Before she could say thanks, but no thanks, none other than her father appeared next to her and pulled her into a quick hug.

“There you are! I have been searching for you for half an hour now. You weren't in your dorm, but I am happy that I found you. Sheila and I wanted to throw you a welcome dinner and if we won't leave now we will be late.”

Beca finally managed to break free from her father's hug but the news he told her weren't doing anything for her quickly darkening mood.

She shot a quick apologizing look in the direction of Chloe and Aubrey and quickly said “Sorry, I don’t even sing, but it was really nice to meet you guys.” while dragging her father in the direction of Baker Hall.

“Really dad? I was talking to someone. Talking about rude. And no, I really don't want to have dinner with you and the 'step-monster'. I'm actually really tired and just want to unpack and go to bed.”

“Oh come on, Beca, I haven't really talked to you since you started high school and I already apologized a hundred times for my behavior back then. Can't you give me another chance? I really want to be a part of your life. You are my daughter and I love you.”

Just as Beca was about to refuse once more, her stomach decided to grumble really loudly. Traitor, she thought silently.

“See Beca, you are hungry. And Sheila already cooked. You don't want to let a good meal go to waste, do you? Come on, it's not far, my house is just around the corner.”

Beca's father started ushering her in the direction of his house.

Beca sighed a deep unhappy breath but decided she was really hungry and she never wasted good food. She could just eat and stay silent while she was at her fathers place.

With a last longing look in the direction of her dorm she steeled her nerves and started the short walk to her fathers house in silence.

 

After an awkward dinner with her father and his new wife Sheila Beca finally made her way back to her dorm two hours later.

Tiredly opening her door she noticed that her roommate wasn't back yet. She was silently glad that she could postpone meeting new people until tomorrow. Ignoring her father's attempt to talk properly to her and apologizing at least another ten times for things long in the past Beca was wiped out. She just wanted to grab a quick shower and fall into a deep sleep until tomorrow. Beca rummaged around in her boxes until she found her shower bag with the shampoo and stuff in it, grabbed a towel and made her way down to the communal showers.

 

“Bye Bree! I'll see you tomorrow!”

With a last wave of her hand Chloe turned around and left Aubrey's room. They had talked about the possible new recruits for the Bellas for a few hours after the activities fair and it was getting late. Chloe wanted to grab a quick shower before bed so she could sleep longer in the morning. 

Chloe made her way across campus and reached her room in under five minutes. It's really awesome that I can see Bree so often here. I'm really grateful to Aunt Julia that I can finally be here, Chloe thought as she opened the door to her room. 

My roommate must have gotten here while I was gone, Chloe thought as she saw the bags and boxes in the other half of her room.

I hope she is nice. I wonder where she is. Oh well, I'll just greet her in the morning.

Grabbing her towel and shower bag, Chloe cast a last look at the boxes on the other side of her room, closed the door after her and made her way to the communal showers while humming a happy tune under her breath.

 

A/N: Did you like it?


	2. Chapter 2

Beca was quietly singing “Titanium” while she was showering when she heard the door to the communal showers open. She briefly wondered who would shower so late at night but quickly shrugged the thought of and continued her routine of shampooing and washing.

 

Chloe came into the shower room and instantly noticed somebody singing. She wandered over to a free stall next to the only other occupied one, so she could continue listening and undressed herself. She was about to start her own shower but stopped to listen a few more seconds to the awesome voice. The ginger knew that interrupting someone's shower was rude but she couldn't help herself. This girl was just so good at singing. She had to get her to audition for the Bellas! Throwing the rest of her nearly non-existent boundaries out of the window, she made her way over to the next shower stall. Not wasting another second to ponder the inappropriateness of her next act, she quickly pulled the shower curtain to the side. 

The ginger instantly noticed that the girl in the shower was actually the girl from the activities fair this afternoon. She totally can sing! Chloe thought and was about to confront her, but just in that moment, Beca who was standing sideways to Chloe turned around and gave Chloe a full view of her wet body. She had her eyes closed and her hands in her hair, washing the shampoo out of her long auburn tresses.

Damn... Chloe thought and took a few more seconds to appreciate the sight in front of her. This girl is hot! I totally have to get to know her.

Before Chloe could open her mouth to blurt some of her inappropriate thoughts out for the world to hear, the girl in front of her opened her eyes. The brunette's eyes widened comically, she gave a girly shriek and grabbed the shower curtain back from Chloe to cover her naked body with it.

“Dude!”

“You can sing!” Chloe happily announced while trying to shift the girls attention from her silent staring to another topic. “How high does your belt go?”

“My what? Oh my god!” Beca was mortified. What the hell was the hot red headed girl from the activities fair doing in her shower? Oh my God, she is naked. Like, totally nude. Don't stare... Keep your eyes on her face...”

Beca was working on organizing her jumbled thoughts while trying to cover everything by crossing her arms over her chest and keeping her attention from wandering south. Chloe ignored the uncomfortable look on the brunette's face and continued talking.

“You have to audition for the Bellas. Your voice is awesome. You were singing Titanium right?”

“You know David Guetta?” Beca's interest was peaked. People with a good taste in music were hard to find. Before her one-track mind when it came to music could take her thoughts away, she remembered her current situation. “I mean, I can’t concentrate on anything you’re saying until you cover your junk.”

Completely ignoring the part of the brunette's words she didn't want to hear, Chloe continued her quest to get this girl to audition.

“Have I been living under a rock? Of course I know David Guetta. That song is my jam. My lady-jam.” She winked and smiled at the brunette.

“That’s nice“ Beca's face was already looking like an overly ripe tomato, but Chloe's words pushed her straight into fire engine red territory. She was sure she was going to pass out any moment from embarrassment.

“It is. That song really builds“ Another one of those damn winks.

“TMI!” Beca shouted, hoping that a hole in the ground would soon open up to swallow her whole.

“Can you sing it for me?” Chloe's big blue eyes stared at her with such hope, that Beca didn't want to disappoint her, but the whole situation was starting to creep her out a little.

“Dude, no. Get out!“ She hoped the ginger would listen and leave her alone but she should have known it wouldn't be that easy. A person who jumped into stranger's showers just to sing with them, completely naked, wouldn't be so easy to get rid off. 

“Not for that reason. I’m not leaving here till you sing. So... “ Chloe started looking around Beca's shower stall and lightly tapped her food on the ground while sighing, as if she were preparing herself for a long wait.

Beca only gaped at her. Is this girl serious?

After two minutes of silence Beca caved in with a loud sigh. She opened her mouth and started singing a few lines of Titanium. After a few words Chloe started harmonizing with her. 

Later, when thinking back to this moment, Beca could honestly say that they sounded very good together, but while it was happening she wasn't paying that much attention to the singing. While half her brain was occupied with singing the rest of Beca's attention started to wander. Before she could stop herself she got a full view of the hot ginger in front of her. Beca ogled the flawless skin in front of her, the legs that were a mile long and some serious abs. 

Before Beca could embarrass herself any further by forgetting the lyrics, their impromptu singing session thankfully came to an end. Chloe was smiling wildly at her and Beca quickly locked her eyes onto the ginger's baby-blues.

Chloe of course noticed Beca's staring. “Don't worry. I’m pretty confident about all this. You can look if you want. Also, fair play and all that. I got a good eye full before you noticed me.” Another wink. 

Beca groaned. This is the most embarrassing situation I have ever been in. It is even worse than the time granny forced me to go shopping for underwear with her and made me parade around in it in front of the whole store because she couldn't be bothered to come into the tiny changing stall with me like a normal person. 

When Chloe just continued to stand there with no apparent intention to leave anytime soon, Beca spoke up again.

“Was there anything else you wanted...?” She lifted an eyebrow and waited.

“Oh! Sorry. Here.” Chloe grabbed Beca's towel from the hook behind the shower curtain and gave it to her. 

“Thanks” She took the towel in her hands and quickly put it around her. When Chloe still didn't leave, Beca tried another approach. 

“Didn't you come down here to shower? It's really late and you should really get to it.”

“Oh! I almost forgot. Yeah, I should get to it. I'll see you at auditions!” With that and a small wave, Chloe finally left Beca alone to get into her own shower. Beca lingered a moment but when she heard the shower next to hers start, she quickly gathered her things and made her way out of the showers back to her dorm room.

That was so surreal. But also hot. I really want to know Chloe better, even if she is a little bit of a creep. I guess I have to go to this audition now. And dad said something about joining a club. Might as well be an a capella group. Music, a hot red head and an uptight blonde who already seems to hate me, I can already tell this will be interesting.

 

Chloe was finally enjoying the soothing effects of her shower, while thinking about what happened just a few minutes ago. They sounded really good together. 

I hope she comes to auditions! Chloe thought with a bright smile as she started washing her hair.

Her good mood quickly vanished as she noticed something. 

Damn it! I forgot to ask for her name! Again! How will I ever find her again if she doesn't come to auditions because I am a freak who invaded her shower and made her sing with me. Naked. Who does things like that? I wanted her to be my first friend here, apart from Bree of course. Good work, Beale, you can be lucky if she doesn't run away from you as soon as she sees you across campus or something.

Chloe groaned loudly and put her hands in front of her eyes. 

Well, I just have to hope that I didn't scare her away and she will come to auditions. 

The red head quickly finished her shower with a now subdued mood and made her way back to her room. She just wanted to sleep.

 

Beca finally arrived at her room, closed the door after her and fell face first onto her bed. This day really needs to end. I'll unpack all this stuff tomorrow morning. 

She pushed her bags, which were still laying were she threw them this afternoon, down to the ground and quickly pulled the covers back. She slid under them and put out the lights. 

I wonder where my roommate is. It's really late. Oh well, I'll just meet her tomorrow. 

Beca turned to face the wall and snuggled into her pillow. She was on the verge of falling asleep when the door to her room was pushed open and the light was turned on.

The brunette groaned loudly and pulled the covers over her head.

She heard a whispered “Sorry, I'll be quick.” and heard some rustling. Two minutes later her roommate slid into her own bed and turned out the lights again. 

“Hey, are you awake?” The girl whispered a few seconds later.

“No” Beca groaned. “Can we please save the introductions until tomorrow? I'm sure it is nice to meet you but I am really tired.”

She heard a light giggle and a quiet “Sure. It's nice to meet you. Good night!” 

Beca mumbled a “Good night” back to the girl and fell asleep within seconds.

 

Chloe suppressed another giggle at the thought of her grumpy roommate. She hoped they would get along great. 

Yawning widely, Chloe took her phone from where she chucked it before going to the showers and quickly send a text to two numbers while putting the loading cable in.

Second day was awesome. I spent the morning unpacking and Bree helped me. We were so caught up in catching up that we nearly forgot about the activities fair. We ran out and nearly ran someone over because you know how Bree hates to be late to anything. She didn't even stop to apologize. Anyway we made it about ten minutes late and started handing out flyers. I met some interesting people. Especially a blonde with a weird mermaid dance move who calls herself 'Fat Amy' and some brunette girl who I've run into twice today. Must be fate! I have to make her my friend. And she has an awesome voice! I'll tell you all about it when I call you two tomorrow. I hope you are alright. And mom, don't forget to take your meds! If you skip, Aunt Julia will find out! Have a good night you two. I love you. xoxo C

Tomorrow would be an interesting day, she mused as she put her phone on the small table next to her bed. She couldn't wait to meet her new roommate properly. 

Chloe just hoped she would be tired enough so the dreams wouldn't come tonight. She closed her eyes and quickly fell into an uninterrupted sleep for the first time in two weeks.


	3. Chapter 3

A loud beeping noise woke Beca out of her deep slumber. She groaned loudly and tried to silence the offending noise by slamming her hand down all around her trying to hit something. Preferably her phone which she assumed made the offending noise. Did I really set my alarm last night?

The beeping noise suddenly stopped. A quiet giggle reminded Beca of her short conversation before going to sleep.

Ah yes, my roommate. I remember. Oh well, I just hope that she isn't an early riser or we might have a problem.

Beca searched her bed once more for her phone. Finally locating it under her pillow she squinted at the time.

6.30 am.

6.30 am?!! What the hell?! College classes aren't starting until next week!

Beca stared wide eyed at her phone and decided that this definitely wasn't a time to be up. Burying her face in her still warm pillow she tried to fall asleep again. Preferably for the next three to four hours.

“Hey, are you awake? We didn't really get to talk much last night.”

Of course she wants to talk. At freaking 6.30 in the morning. “I don't want to sound rude but why are you up at this time of day? Normal people should be asleep for at least another two hours when they don't have classes or work.” Beca mumbled into her pillow, eyes still shut.

Another giggle. “I'm sorry. I'm an early riser. Force of habit I guess. I normally go running in the morning. I'm just going to change into work out clothes and then I will be gone. Shall I buy some breakfast on my way back? We can eat and introduce ourselves with a good cup of coffee. And you can continue sleeping for another hour. Or do you want to come with me? Running is always more fun when you do it together. I once tried it with my friend but it didn't work out. Different running pace and all that.”

An early riser?! Running in the morning?! Coffee!

“Coffee sounds awesome, thank you. I'm really not a runner, so thanks for the invite, but no thanks. And I promise you, I'll be much more awake and friendly when you come back. I'm sorry but this really isn't my time of day.” Beca said while listening to her roommate rustling around. Probably changing clothes.

“One coffee for my grumpy roommate, got it. I'll see you in an hour.” Her roommate said happily while going out of the door.

Ten seconds after the door fell into the lock Beca was back asleep.

 

45 minutes later, Beca was awake again.

Uuugh... I'm awake now. Might as well start the day early.

Beca dug her way out of her covers and stood up. Squinting her eyes open she quickly had to close them again. Her roommate must have opened the curtains.

Direct sun light on pink walls in the morning is torture, Beca thought as she grabbed her tooth brush out of the bag with her toiletries. Wandering over to the small adjourning bathroom with a sink, a mirror and a toilet in it, she began brushing her teeth.

She peaked quickly in the mirror and suppressed a groan.

I really have to brush my hair before my roommate comes back. I look like I've been living in a jungle or something for a year. 

The brunette went back to her bag with toiletries and got her hair brush out while still brushing her teeth when the door to her room suddenly opened and a widely smiling, sweaty, very familiar ginger carrying two cups of coffees and a bag came in.

“Hey! You're finally awake, I'm Chloe!” the red headed girl chirped while closing the door after her. She then turned around and took a good look at Beca, who was standing next to her bed with a hair brush in her right hand, a tooth brush hanging out of her mouth and sprouting a bad case of bed hair. She was staring wide eyed at Chloe.

“Shower girl! I hoped I would run into you again! I totally forgot to ask your name the last two times we met but you are here now! In my room! Oh my God, you are totally my roommate, aren't you? I'm so happy about that!” Chloe started jumping up and down happily, her baby-blues sparkling in the morning sun.

This is the worst thing that could happen to me, Beca thought while still staring at Chloe. The hottest ginger she had ever met, who was slightly crazy but had the most amazing blue eyes she had ever seen stood in front of her in very tiny work out clothes, sweat still running down her neck and vanishing into her top while Beca stared dumbly at her with a tooth brush in her mouth and crazy hair. Every chance of her being attracted to you have been thrown out of the window now. Good job Mitchell.

Beca closed her eyes for a moment to gather her thoughts on what she could possibly do or say to turn this situation into anything other than an embarrassing one when she noticed that she has been silent for too long.

The brunette opened her mouth to say something but the tooth paste has been in her mouth too long and it started dripping out. She quickly pulled her left hand under her mouth and ran to the sink to spit it out and rinse.

Oh god please let the floor open up right now...

Beca quickly washed her face and dried it with a towel before turning back to a silent Chloe.

“Umm, hi. Not my best moment there, I'm sorry. I'm Beca, it's nice to meet you. Again I guess.” She shrugged and held her hand out for Chloe to shake.

Chloe completely ignored the offered hand, quickly put the coffee and the bag down on Beca's desk and pulled the brunette into a tight hug.

“It's so nice to finally know your name! I can just tell we're going to be fast friends!”

Beca was startled at the sudden contact but didn't shrug it off. She kinda enjoyed it. She had her hands on Chloe's naked and sweaty back because there wasn't really another place to put them. She noticed a small shudder from the ginger as she finally pulled back and graced her with another mega-watt smile. I wonder how this girl can always be so happy? Every time I meet her she is smiling or giggling or something.

Shrugging her thoughts off, Beca tried to finally save some face by winking at the other girl while saying “Well, you've seen me naked, so...”

Beca groaned quietly. That sounded so dorky . I seriously need to come up with something better for the future.

Chloe just giggled again and finally let go of Beca. “You can say that again. Damn girl, you're hot!” Chloe said while fanning herself theatrically with her hands.

Beca blushed bright red and pushed at Chloe's shoulder. “Stop that! It was bad enough living it yesterday! Don't remind me of that! I'm trying to bury that experience very deep in my 'never-open-again-or-die-of-emberrassment-drawer.'”

Smiling at the adorable girl in front of her, Chloe decided to let the flirting go for the moment and got the coffee off Beca's desk.

“Here's your coffee. Should still be hot. I just bought it before coming up here. There is an awesome coffee place just around the corner. I will take you there some time and show you. Nobody should have to live without tasting their awesome pastries at least once!”

Beca sipped at her coffee and immediately took another big mouthful of the awesome tasting brown beverage. “This is awesome! If their pastries taste anything like their coffee I’ll go there with you every day.” Beca happily said while drinking the hot liquid.

Chloe smiled widely. “I know! I’ve brought us some bear claws to eat. Dig in!” The ginger took one bear claw out of the bag she had put on Beca’s desk earlier and handed the bag with the remaining pastry to Beca while making herself comfortable in Beca’s desk chair.

“So, you kind of promised me a real introduction. Twice, if I remember correctly. Let`s get to it. Tell me all about Beca-insert-last-name-here.”

Beca rolled her eyes but quickly sat down on her bed and took a bite out of her bear claw. It tasted heavenly.

“I definitely have to check this pace out. I love the coffee and bear claw. Thanks for bringing them with you by the way. When I find my wallet somewhere in these bags, I’ll pay you back, I promise.”

“Don’t worry. It’s a present to welcome you as my roommate. And now tell me about you. I’m curious!”

“I noticed.” Beca said drily, trying to hide her rolling eyes.

“Hey! Don’t roll your eyes at me. It isn’t my fault that you are so interesting and intriguing. Don’t hold out on me. I want to know everything about you. Since you are going to be my best friend, that shouldn’t be a problem.” 

“Right. You know that you come on a little strong right?” Beca couldn’t hide her grin so the statement kind of lost it’s teasing intention. 

Chloe pushed out her cheeks and huffed, slapping the air in Beca’s direction. “Oh, shush. You love me already, I can tell. Now, spill.”

“Alright, alright. Hold your horses. So there’s not much to tell about me. My name is Beca Mitchell, I’m 19 and a freshman at Barden University. My dad kind of forced me to go here and get a college education but I just want to go to LA and produce music.”

Chloe’s eyes widened and she nearly shrieked. “You make music?! Can I listen to it? Oh please let me listen! I love music.”

“Calm down Chloe, I’ll let you listen to it once I set up my equipment. Which reminds me, I should really start unpacking some of this stuff.” The brunette gestured around her side of the room where all of her bags and some boxes still stood where they were put down the day before. 

“Can I help? I don’t really have anything to do today.” Chloe offered.

Beca thought about it but shrugged her shoulder after a few seconds. Why not? It’s not like I have anything to hide. And I’m pretty sure my stuff became ‘our’ stuff the second I set foot in this room. She seems like a really taking personality.

Chloe jumped up and cheered as Beca gave the ginger a short smile and nod. She finally seemed to notice her get up and sniffed herself in disgust.

“Oh my god, I really need a shower. Why didn’t you say anything? I even hugged you like this. Gross. I’m sorry but I seem to forget about my surroundings a lot when I get excited. I’ll just grab a short shower and then I`ll be back and help you unpack, okay?” Chloe said while going over to her side of the room, grabbing a towel, some clean clothes and her shower bag.

“Sure, take your time.” The brunette told Chloe when the ginger quickly walked out of their shared room.

Thank god! Time for some serious damage control!

Beca quickly finished her cup of coffee and ran to the mirror in the small bathroom. She hurriedly brushed her hair to the best of her ability. Which wasn’t much. She could do ponytails. Anything more difficult would always end up looking ridiculous and she always ended up with her hair open anyway. I think I have about 15 minutes until she is back. She took a quick look in the mirror.

Deeming her hair acceptable, Beca rushed out of the bathroom to one of her boxes and opened it. Clothes, clothes where are you when I need you?! Beca thought while rummaging through her boxes in search of a pair of skinny jeans and a top. Found you! The brunette silently cheered as she pulled out a pair of black skinny jeans and a white tank top. Quickly pulling her sleep clothes off, she jumped into her jeans and put her top on. She went back to the mirror in the bathroom and quickly applied some make up. 

Taking a deep breath, Beca finally stopped for a moment to think. I really didn’t expect the hot red head from the showers to be my roommate. Maybe this whole college experience won’t be as bad as I thought. She seems like a great friend. I’m looking forward to getting to know her. 

Beca was making her bed when Chloe came back into the room.

She’s stunning, Beca thought as she watched Chloe put her shower bag in her cupboard. The red head had changed into a pair of jeans and simple pink shirt. Her long locks of red hair where framing her beautiful face and her blue eyes were smiling at Beca.

“Let’s get this started okay?” Chloe began and grabbed one of Beca’s boxes.

“How about I start with my DJ equipment and we can listen to some music while we unpack? Thanks for helping by the way.” Beca offered while opening one of the boxes.

“Awesome!” Chloe happily exclaimed.

Beca silently set up her equipment while Chloe put Beca’s clothes into the brunettes dresser.

“Um, Beca, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, what is it?” Beca answered distractedly as she put all the cables from her keyboard where they belonged.

“Do you only have black clothes? I think I’ve been through all of your stuff in the last 5 minutes and apart from skinny jeans, some tops and plaid shirts you only have one dress. Which is also black.”

Beca rolled her eyes. Of course a girl like Chloe would notice unimportant stuff like that. “They are not all black. There are some blue jeans in there and I think I have some red and green in the plaid shirts too. And look, I’m even wearing white right now.” The brunette pointed at her white tank top and grinned at Chloe. The other girl just rolled her eyes. 

“You know what I mean, where are all the happy colors? Like yellow or pink? What about orange?” 

“Probably on your side of the room” Beca sarcastically mumbled while installing her computer.

“We definitely need to go shopping. Your wardrobe is depressing.”

Beca suddenly stopped. Did she hear correctly? Shopping?! 

The brunette girl turned around with wide eyes to stare at Chloe.

“Shopping?! No please, anything but that.” Beca whined. 

Chloe laughed at the pout on Beca’s face. She’s so adorable.

“What is your problem with shopping? Every girl loves shopping and clothes.”

“Not if they had to go shopping with my grandma. I think I’m seriously traumatized after that.”

Chloe’s interest was peaked. “Your grandma? She took you shopping often?”

Beca shuddered while she remembered the countless shopping experiences with her grandma.

“Yeah. I’ve been living with her for my high school years. She took me shopping for almost every dance I had. It was horrible. Let’s just leave it like that. I don’t really want to remember that.”

Chloe giggled as she saw Beca’s tortured expression. “Don’t worry I`ll show you how it’s really done. We will have so much fun! We can even take my friend Bree. She loves shopping even more than I do.”

Before Beca had to think of something to politely decline the invitation, Chloe was thankfully distracted by the music Beca had started on her computer. 

“Oh my god! This is so awesome! I love it.”

Beca looked at her strangely. “You’ve heard maybe 30 seconds of it. How can you say that you love it when you haven’t heard the whole thing?” 

Chloe lightly slapped Beca’s shoulder and hushed her. “Psst! I need to listen to this!”

The brunette just rolled her eyes but smiled slightly. This girl really is something else.

 

The girls spent the next two hours listening to music while unpacking Beca’s stuff and talking about everything that came to mind. When all of Beca’s stuff was finally put away, Beca started to notice the time. Almost noon.

“I’m sorry Chlo, but I really want to check out this internship for the radio station here on campus. I’ve seen some flyers yesterday at the activities fair and I really want to get in. Maybe I can even play some of my music. I hope they still have some openings. I guess my chances will be better if I will be early for once in my life.”

Chloe giggled. “You gave me a pet name. I guess we’re official best friends now.”

Beca looks at her confused. “What?”

“You called me ‘Chlo’” The ginger grinned.

“Huh. Imagine that. It suits you. Anyway, thanks for helping me unpack my stuff, my super awesome new best friend. I’ll see you later.” Beca put her boots on, grabbed a plaid shirt to go over her tank top, put a bag over her shoulder and went out the door with a grin.

Chloe called after her. “Good luck Becs! See you later!”

The brunette girl waved at Chloe and closed the door behind her.

Chloe was really happy. Her roommate was awesome. She was fun to be around, fun to tease and hot as hell. The girl quickly grabbed her phone and sent a quick text to her mother. 

Hey! Are you free? I have to tell you about my super awesome new roommate! And I promised to call, so… 

Not even 20 seconds after Chloe hit send on the text, her phone rang and she saw the smiling face of her mom on the display. She quickly swiped her finger over her phone to accept the call.

“Hey mom! Listen, I have so much to tell you, I don’t even know where to begin….”


	4. Chapter 4

“Hey mom! Listen, I have so much to tell you, I don’t even know where to begin….”

“Chloe! It's Julia. Before you start rambling and telling me all your embarrassing secrets.”

“Oh! Hey, aunt Julia. How are you? Why are you answering mom's phone? And you know all my secrets anyway, so it would have been fine.” Chloe was a little concerned that her mom didn't call herself but she didn't want to worry too early. Maybe she was just busy or left her phone somewhere. 

“I'm fine. I have finally unpacked all my boxes and am now officially moved into my new apartment. Your mom isn't doing so well. She is asleep right now, but I noticed your text and wanted to hear from you. I'm with your mom right now. She woke up with a headache this morning and was vomiting when I came by to check on her. I gave her some pills for the headache and send her straight back to bed. Don't worry too much, you know that she has these headaches often.”

“You can't tell me not to worry. I know that this is expected and all, but I still don't like it. I'm coming over.” The ginger was already grabbing some things she thought she might need and threw them into her handbag while she was putting her shoes on. Her aunts next words stopped her from storming out of the room and rushing over to her mom's house.

“You don't really have to, Chloe. I have everything under control. And the whole reason I came here to Atlanta was to take care of your mom while you got your college education to finally get closer to your dream of being a nurse. You can't always come running if she isn't feeling a hundred percent. You know I will take good care of her. You have been gone for two days. Have fun and let me worry about your mom. You sacrificed the last two years of your life for your mom by taking care of her and the bills. It's my turn now.” 

Chloe took a deep breath and let herself fall back on her bed. Putting the hand that wasn't holding her phone above her eyes, Chloe mumbled the next few words. “I know. It's just... I worry. You know the slightest sign could mean that it's back. She has been in remission for the last two months and I really hoped that this would be it. She has been feeling so well these last few weeks.”

“I know sweetie. But don't worry, people get headaches all the time. This doesn't need to mean anything. I'll look after her and if anything happens I'll call you immediately. And now tell me what's happening with you. Did you finally meet your roommate? How are the other kids on campus? What about that a capella thing Aubrey wanted you to do?”

A small smile crept on Chloe's face as she thought about her aunt. I really couldn't do all this without her. 

“Okay, but you'll call me ASAP if something happens! Thanks for being there for us through all this.”

“No problem sweetie. Now spill! What were you so excited about a few minutes ago.”

Chloe could hear the teasing smile her aunt must have had on her face. She rolled her eyes but couldn't keep her excitement in any longer.

“Calm down. And the other kids on campus are nice. Well, at least the few I met during the activities fair. I was handing out flyers with Aubrey for her a capella group. They are called the Barden Bellas and I already joined. I think it will be lots of fun! And it's so awesome that I can see Bree anytime I want now. I really missed just talking to her everyday and telling each other about our days.”

“Sounds like fun. I'm happy that you are enjoying yourself Chloe, you deserve it.”

Chloe smiled a grateful smile. “Thanks, I think this will be good for me. I really haven't been doing anything for me in the last two years, have I?”

Julia snorted. “No you haven't. You've been working crazy hours and after that you took care of your mom. I am very proud of you for doing that, but now it's time for you think about yourself. And don't think that I haven't noticed that you skipped one of my questions. Spill.”

Chloe blushed and groaned, but couldn't hide a small grin. 

“I should have known you would notice. Yes, I have met my new roommate, and she is awesome. Her name is Beca and she wants to be a music producer. She is making these amazing mixes and she is seriously hot.”

Chloe's aunt chuckled. “Hot, huh? Does my cute little niece have a crush?”

Chloe's blush brightened. “Julia!”

Julia's chuckled turned into a full laugh at the flustered voice of her niece. “What? It certainly sounds like it. What would be the problem? You said she was nice and hot. She makes music. What's not to like?”

“I don't even know if she's into girls. I don't want to mess up my relationship with her. She is still my roommate and I would have to live with her if something goes wrong.”

“Did she seem interested? Or did she say anything about a boyfriend?”

“No, no boyfriend. At least I think so. And she definitely seemed interested when she checked me out in the shower.” Chloe mumbled the last sentence, more for herself than for her aunt, but Julia still heard her.

“She checked you out in the shower?! Haven't you just met yesterday? Isn't this going a little too fast?” Julia was grinning but was a little concerned that her niece's roommate could be a crazy stalker person.

“Well,” Chloe started sheepishly, “I kind of invaded her shower first.”

“You what?! I totally need to hear this story from the beginning!” 

About ten minutes later Chloe had recounted the last two days and the various meetings with her roommate. Julia didn't stop laughing until Chloe finished her story with Beca leaving to check out a radio internship.

“Oh my God, Chloe. I knew you had few boundaries, but this story takes the cake. Your mother will be in tears from laughing so hard when I tell her. Don't fluster the girl too hard, you don't want her to run away.”

“Oh come on, I wasn't that bad!”

“If you say so...” 

“Really! I just want to be her friend!”

“And maybe a little something more?” Julia couldn't help but tease her niece a little bit. She was happy for Chloe that she seemed interested in someone. It's been two years since she broke up with that Tom guy and she really hasn't been paying much attention to anyone since her mother got sick. Maybe this Beca girl will be good for Chloe.

“Stop teasing me. It's not funny anymore.” Chloe huffed but wasn't really angry. Her aunt kind of had a point. She did have a very small crush on Beca. 

“Alright, I'll stop. But keep me updated on the Beca situation. I think your mom just woke up, I'll go and check on her.”

“Tell her I love her and I'll call her later. And yes, I'll keep you updated.” Chloe rolled her eyes again.

“I will. I love you sweetie! Let's talk again soon!”

“We will. Love you too! Bye.”

“Bye.” 

Chloe's good mood during the phone call quickly vanished as she remembered why her mother didn't call her back. She was seriously worried and was thinking about visiting and checking up on her anyway, but her aunt had said she would handle it. Not being able to decide which would be the right choice, Chloe slipped her shoes off her feet, went over to Beca's computer and continued the playlist that had been playing while they unpacked the brunette's boxes. She went back to her bed, buried her head in her pillow and tried to fall asleep for a few hours. She knew she wouldn't worry while she was asleep. And a few hours of sleep wouldn't be long enough for any nightmares to occur. At least that's what she thought as Beca's mixes slowly lulled her into a deep sleep.

 

Beca crossed the street in front of the radio station and went in. She noticed music playing over some speakers and a blonde guy in the radio booth. Beca was thinking about a way to get this guy to notice her when said guy caught her staring.

Great, now he thinks I'm a creep. Beca rolled her eyes at herself and put a professional smile on her face as the guy came out of the radio booth to greet her.

“Hey, can I help you?” The guy smiled at her.

“Umm, yes I noticed some flyers on the activities fair yesterday about a job offer and I thought I'd check it out. I love music. Is the job still open?” Beca asked hopefully. If she had to stay at Barden for the next year, she at least wanted to do something that would help her later on.

“Yeah, we still have a spot open. Another guy already applied but we could really use two people.”

“Great, thanks!”

“I'm Luke, by the way. Station manager.”

“I'm Beca. Nice to meet you.” Beca and smiled and shook Luke's hand. 

Before anyone could say anything more, a brunette guy came rushing into the radio station and exclaimed. “And I'm Jesse.” He was sprouting a big grin on his face.

Luke seemed unimpressed by Jesse's arrival. “Yeah. And you're late.”

Jesse blushed a little and mumbled a short “Sorry”. He then turned to Beca and realization crossed his face. 

“Hey, I know you!”

Beca's eyes widened. “No you don't.”

She quickly turned around to Luke. “He doesn't.”

Luke didn't seem to care. “Okay, you two can figure it out while you're stacking CD's”. He pointed at several crates of CD's. “When you're done there is more. You're gonna be spending a lot of time together, so please... no sex on the desk. I've been burned before.” A slack jawed Beca watched Luke walking back into the radio booth. She mumbled a quick “Gross” under her breath and turned back to Jesse as he began talking.

“I do know you. I sang to you. I remember because you were just standing in front of a taxi.”

Beca searched her memory for the situation Jesse described and finally came up with something after about a minute. “Yeah, I remember. You were sitting in a car and drove by me, right?”

“Yes! That was me!” Jesse exclaimed happily as he and Beca started combing through the CD's. 

After about five minutes of silence Jesse began talking again.

“So... Luke's attractive. Excellent bone-structure. Full head of hair. Fancy undershirt. I think we just met my nemesis.” He winked at Beca.

The brunette girl groaned frustratedly and plopped down on a chair.

“This sucks. I came here to play music, not stack it.”

“Not me. I'm here for one reason only. I love stacking CD's. I was offered a job at a lab that tests the effects of marijuana on your appetite but I said no. I want to stack CD's, hopefully in the vicinity of a semen smeared desk. That's what we think happened here, right?” Jesse replied sarcastically.

Beca suppressed a small grin as she noticed Jesse's sarcasm. That sounds like something I would say. I'm sure we would make great friends.

“Too bad I didn't bring my black light. Then we would know for sure.” Beca grinned, playing along. “One other thing, stop right there with the flirting. You have no chance at all. I like my partners a little more soft and feminine if you know what I mean.”

“You're gay?” Jesse looked surprised but not put off.

“Yep. Literally all my life. I've been out since I started high school.”

Jesse grinned at her. “Awesome. I always wanted a gay friend.”

“You are a weirdo.” Cue Beca's famous eye-roll.

“So are you. It's a good thing we are going to be best friends.” Jesse continued grinning while happily stacking his CD's.

The two of them continued talking about everything and nothing for the remaining hours of their shift. When they could finally go home, Beca and Jesse exchanged numbers, promising to meet up in the next few days for some coffee.

They waved at each other when Beca started her walk back to her dorm room.

Jesse's really nice, I'm glad I met him. I really have to call my grandma and tell her what's happened over the last two days. She won't believe some of the stuff that happened with Chloe. She will totally laugh at me. Speaking of Chloe, I wonder if she's home...


	5. Chapter 5

Chloe was sitting in a car. She was sitting in the passenger seat, staring out of the window. She noticed that it was dark outside. Her mother was sitting next to her in the driver's seat and happily talking about the shopping trip they had that day.

Oh no, Chloe thought, not again! 

She's been having this dream for over two years now. Nearly every night. The only times it wouldn't come, was when she was so exhausted that even dreams couldn't bother her in her unconscious state. She trained herself to not make a noise while she had this nightmare. The first few times the nightmare happened, her aunt Julia would come into her room at night to wake her up because she was screaming. After about three weeks of constant nightmares her aunt was ready to send her to a psychologist. Chloe adamantly refused and forced herself to be quiet during the night. It wasn't easy, but after a few days her aunt thought this phase had passed. Chloe never told her or her mom that she still had the nightmares. 

It always started the same way.

Her mom was driving them home from a shopping trip that day. Her prom was coming up and they were searching for a beautiful dress. Chloe was nominated for prom queen and wanted to look the best she could. Her boyfriend at the time, Tom, was nominated for prom king. He was a football player and everybody loved him. Chloe was in the volleyball team and everybody liked her for her happy and bubbly personality and for her awesome playing skills. Everything was going good for her until this day...

Chloe and her mom happily chatted about the dresses they saw that day. Chloe wasn't sure she found exactly what she was looking for and asked her mom to drive them to another mall the next day. 

They were driving through an intersection but none of them noticed the speeding car from their left before it crashed into them. Before a scream could worm its way out of Chloe's lungs her head hit the dashboard in front of her and everything went black.

When Chloe woke up, she was in a hospital. The walls and ceiling were as white as her linens. Next to her bed she could hear some beeping machines and there was an IV-needle in her hand. Her aunt Julia was sitting next to her on her left side, reading some magazine.

The red head groaned at the feeling in her head. It felt like someone hit her over the head with something. As she tried to move her hand to her head she noticed that she was sore all over. She groaned again, this time a little louder and muttered “What the hell happened?”.

Her aunt finally noticed her waking up.

“Sweetie! How are you feeling? Any pain? Shall I go get the doctor?” Julia quickly tossed the magazine she was reading on a nearby couch and and was out of her chair and halfway out of the room before Chloe could register what she was talking about.

“Aunt Julia? What are you doing here? Why aren't you at home in LA? Why didn't you tell me that you would be visiting? I would have prepared some things.” Chloe mumbled while she tried to sit up. She was not quite awake yet.

Julia stopped rushing out of the room and came back to Chloe. She took her hand in hers and squeezed.

“Chloe, do you remember what happened?”

Chloe furrowed her brow. She tried to remember something but she got nothing.

“Not really. Where's mom?”

Julia sighed before answering her niece. 

“You and your mom were in a car accident. As you probably already figured out, you are in the hospital at the moment.”

Before her aunt could continue talking, Chloe suddenly remembered everything. The last thing she saw was her mothers scared face and the bright light from headlights in the background. Her memory cut off when her head must have hit the dashboard or something.

Chloe started breathing hard and had a panicked look on her face. “Oh my god! Is mom okay? Where is she?”

Julia tried to calm her down by petting her arm. “Calm down sweetie. Your mom is in another room. She's got a minor concussion and a broken leg. Some scrapes and bruises. Nothing life threatening. They noticed something as they examined your mom's head so they are doing some tests right now. She'll be back here before you know it.”

Chloe took a deep relieved breath. “Okay, okay that's good. What about the driver of the other car? Is he or she alright?”

Her aunt looked at her funny. “Always concerned with other people. That's why I love you so much.” she chuckled. “Don't you want to know what's up with you?”

Chloe smiled a little and shrugged. “I figured that if I was awake and could move everything even if it hurts it couldn't be so bad.”

“Yes that's true. Luckily there's nothing major going on. Some scrapes and bruises like your mom. And a concussion. You hit your head pretty heavily on the dashboard. You got a cut from that and it's probably going to scar. But luckily it is pretty much by your hairline and very small. About a centimeter.”

“That's not so bad. I feel like somebody ran me over but I guess that is to be expected. So, what about the driver?”

“He's fine. A little banged up but otherwise fine. He didn't see the red light. He's been apologizing this whole time and sending flowers. He's really sorry. It's not an excuse in my book but accidents happen. I'm just happy that you two are mostly fine.”

“Wait, this whole time? How long was I out?”

“About two days. We were getting a little worried but the doctor's said it would be fine. It isn't uncommon for patients with a concussion.”

Before Chloe could start asking other questions her mom came through the door of her hospital room. She was hopping along on crutches. A small smile crept on her moms face when she noticed that Chloe was awake. She quickly made her way over to her daughter's bedside and sat down in a chair on her right side.

“Chloe! Honey, I'm so happy to see you awake!” She grabbed Chloe's hand and squeezed before putting a small kiss on the back of the gingers hand. She trailed her hand over Chloe's face, trying not to touch the cut or the bruises that lingered on her daughter's face.

Chloe took her mother in. She had dark circle's under her eyes and she looked like she'd been crying. 

“Mom? Are you okay? Have you been crying?” she asked worriedly.

Her mom closed her eyes for a second and then put a small smile on her face that didn't reach her eyes. 

“Honey, I have to tell you something. As your aunt probably already told you, they ran some tests on me while you were still asleep. They found something in my brain and wanted to check it out. Turns out...” 

“Chloe!” 

Chloe furrowed her brow. She could see her mom's moving lips but she couldn't understand her. She felt a light pressure on her shoulders. She looked at her shoulders but couldn't make out anything that could be responsible for the strange feeling.

“Chloe! Wake up!”

The pressure on her shoulders increased and with a loud gasp, Chloe jolted awake in her bed. In front of her was a worried looking Beca, who had apparently woken her up from her nightmare.

 

Beca had just left Jesse and the radio station and made her way back to her dorm room. She decided that calling her grandma couldn't really be postponed any longer unless she wanted her grandma to call her in the middle of the night or something. 

The brunette got her phone out of her bag and called her grandma while climbing the three flights of stairs to her room. Her grandmother answered on the second ring.

“Finally! I've been waiting all day Beca. You have to tell me everything!”

“Hello to you too grandma” Beca muttered sarcastically. 

“Oh hush, little one.”

Beca groaned. “Really? Still with the nickname? I´m not ten anymore. Can you please call me by my name?”

“No. And you haven't really grown much since you were ten, so the nickname still applies. Or would you rather I call you by your full name, Rebeca Luise Mitchell?”

“God, no! And I'm totally taller than I was at ten. That was nine years ago!”

“Well, as long as you are smaller than me, I'll continue calling you that.” 

Beca had arrived at her door finally and was opening the door as she continued talking to her grandmother.

“Okay, okay, I'll probably never win that argument.” Beca grumbled as she went into the room and put her bag down on her bed.

The first thing she noticed was that her music was playing. Didn't I shut that down when I left?

The second thing she noticed was, that Chloe was apparently sleeping. She was rustling about on her bed and Beca thought she heard some whimpers. “Hang on a second grandma.” she murmured into her phone. Moving closer to the gingers bed, Beca felt slightly like a creep by watching the girl sleep, but told herself she was just checking up on her. 

“Chloe?” she whispered, but no answer.

When she was finally able to see the gingers face, she noticed tears running down the beautiful face of her roommate.

“Grandma? I'll call you back, alright? Something's come up.” Without waiting for a reply, Beca ended the call and crouched down next to Chloe's bed.

She grabbed her shoulders and shook them gently.

“Chloe?”

Nothing. 

She tried it a little louder. “Chloe!”

Still nothing. Beca was frowning. What could the red head be dreaming about that made her cry? And why was it so hard to wake her up?

Next try. “Chloe! Wake up!” She shook the girl's shoulders a little harder, which seemed to work. Finally. 

Chloe opened her eyes with a loud gasp and jolted awake. She was still crying and had a panicked look on her face. 

Beca still had her hands on the red heads shoulders and tried to squeeze them reassuringly. 

“Chloe? Are you okay? You were crying.” Beca asked carefully.

Chloe seemed to finally calm down and send a small smile in her roommates direction.

“I'm fine. Sorry for the inconvenience. Thanks for waking me up, I really shouldn't have watched that horror movie yesterday.” Chloe chuckled and untangled her legs from under her covers and stood up. Beca's hands fell from her shoulders and she took a step back, letting the other girl have some room. Chloe made her way to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. 

“Damn. Now I look like something out of a horror movie.” She chuckled as she removed the smudged make up from her face.

Beca looked at her suspiciously. That didn't seem like a nightmare after a horror movie. 

“Are you sure you are alright? That must have been some movie.”

“Yeah, Bree made me watch. She knows I can't stand them. Anyway, you are back! How was it at the radio station?” Chloe finished cleaning her face, took another look in the mirror to check if she looked normal again and turned around to face the other girl. 

Beca didn't really buy the movie excuse but she had just met the girl. If it was something serious she was sure it would come up again. If it was really just the movie, then she would make a fool out of herself if she pried to much. And she really wanted to be her friend, so she let her be for the moment and started talking about the radio station.

Chloe, meanwhile wasn't really listening to Beca, but was trying to arrange her thoughts. Thankfully Beca woke her up in the middle of the nightmare. If she had to watch it until the end, like every other time, there won't be a chance of her calming down anytime soon. She always cried for at least ten minutes after a nightmare.

“Chloe? Are you listening to me?” Beca asked as she noticed that the ginger was spacing out.

Chloe shook her head to clear her thoughts and smiled apologetically at Beca. “I'm sorry what was that? I guess I'm still a little out of it.”

“No worries. Hey, are you hungry? I'm starving. I haven't eaten anything since that awesome bear claw this morning.”

Chloe's stomach decided to make it's opinion known by grumbling loudly. She chuckled and smiled at Beca. “I guess that answers that. We can go to that place I told you about? They are open until late at night. And you can get another coffee, if you'd like.”

“Yes please!” Beca said excitedly. 

Chloe searched for her bag and as she found it and lifted it up, a flyer for the Barden Bellas fell out.

“Oh! That reminds me. Auditions are tomorrow morning at 10 am. I guess I never told you when they were being held.” Chloe told Beca with a small blush on her face. 

“Tomorrow? Woah that's fast. I didn't really prepare anything. Well, I'll just wing it.” Beca shrugged and got her bag from her bed. She was preparing to leave the room when Chloe's next words stopped her. 

“Don't worry. You'll just have to sing 'Since U Been Gone' by Kelly Clarkson. Everybody knows that song, that's why we chose it. So people won't have to stress about choosing the right song and learning the lyrics.”

Beca blanched. “Well, I guess I'm not everybody. I really don't know the song.”

Chloe looked at her surprised. “Really? Never heard it? Don't you have a radio? Or used it in one of your mixes?”

“Not really. And I think I heard it once or twice in the car or something, but I really don't know the lyrics. Seems like we have to cut our trip short. How about we just get it and eat it here, so I can listen to the song while we eat?”

“We can do that. And I can help you with the lyrics. I've memorized that song. I really love it.”

While Chloe was putting her shoes on, Beca send a quick text to her grandma. 

Hey, I'll call you tomorrow, alright? Something's come up and now I kinda have to learn this song for tomorrow. Love you! B 

Chloe came up next to her. “Ready?”

Beca smiled at her. “Yeah, let's go”

The two of them got out of their dorm and made their way over to Chloe's favorite place to eat while chatting about the auditions for Aubrey's a capella group the next day.


	6. Chapter 6

„Ugh“ Chloe groaned as she slowly woke up. She only got about four hours of sleep because she and Beca talked and listened to music all night before slowly succumbing into a dreamless sleep.

Chloe used the few blissful moments before fully waking up to think about the day before. Specifically about Beca. She'd liked the short brunette as soon as she saw her on the activities fair. There was something about her that appealed to Chloe. Sure, she was beautiful, but that's not the only thing that made the brunette attractive to her. There was something special about her, Chloe couldn't quite grasp what it was. Maybe it was a mix of Beca's sarcasm (which was always funny to her), her alternative look (that seemed to fit perfectly with the image Beca tried to emanate), her great taste and skills with music (which was AWESOME) and her smile (when it broke free from the smirk that wanted to take it's place constantly). She just liked Beca.

Chloe rolled around in her bed and slowly opened her eyes to stare at her phone.

9:40 am.

“9:40?!” she shrieked as she jumped out of bed. She quickly looked over to her roommate who was still happily asleep.

“Beca! Wake up! We are late!” she shouted while she pulled some clean clothes out of her closet and ran into the small bathroom.

Beca jumped slightly as her shouting roommate woke her up. Not really knowing what the problem was, she just looked at Chloe who was brushing her teeth in the bathroom frantically. She had left the door wide open.

“What's up? Why the hurry?” she murmured as she buried her head back in her still warm pillows.

“Auditions, Beca! We have to be there in 15 minutes. Bree is going to kill me if I'm late. Well, she won't, but you know what I mean. She is going to be seriously pissed off at me.” Chloe tried to say while brushing her teeth.

Beca only got half of it. But it was enough to start her own thought process. Auditions? Oh shit!

The brunette girl jumped out of the bed and quickly shrugged out of her sleep clothes and put some clean ones on. “Chloe! We totally forgot that I had to learn that song! I don't even know the refrain!”

Chloe had finished brushing her teeth and was now quickly combing her hair. “Right. Damn we totally forgot about that. Don't worry I'll talk to Aubrey. But we really have to get going.” She went back to her side of the room and put some stuff she'd likely need in her bag while shrugging out of her clothes and into new ones.

Beca took Chloe's place in front of the mirror in the bathroom and quickly brushed her teeth. “ Just another minute.”

Five minutes later both girls were more or less presentable. They grabbed their bags and hurried out of their dorm room.

 

They ran across campus and made their way to the auditorium where the auditions were held with one minute to spare. They were instantly approached by an angry looking blonde.

“Chloe! Where have you been? You should have been here half an hour ago helping me prepare everything. You didn't answer your phone either.” She quickly pulled Chloe into a hug and while talking.

Chloe hugged her back and apologized. “I'm sorry Bree, but we overslept. I must have forgotten to set my alarm last night. Beca and I were at Remy's and talked. We got some coffee and that awesome pizza that they serve sometimes. After that we went home and kinda got into talking and then it was really late and we just fell asleep.”

Aubrey held her unimpressed stare for a few seconds longer and then let a small smile escape. “It's okay Chloe. Don't let it happen again though. I'm running a strict regime.” She winked at Chloe and then whispered to the red head so only she could hear. “I'm glad you're finally making friends again. It's been two years since you isolated yourself and I was starting to get worried. Although why you had to choose the alt girl with the ear spikes is beyond me.” Aubrey nudged Chloe in the shoulder and the two of them smiled at each other.

Beca cleared her throat.

“Umm, sorry to interrupt but I think everyone is kinda waiting on you two.” She pointed around her at all the waiting faces on the stage and seats.

Chloe blushed red but Aubrey just dismissed the situation and went to her seat in front of the stage and pulled Chloe with her.

Beca, feeling a little out of place just standing in the middle of the stage, went over to the other people standing on the side lines. She stopped next to a blonde that she thought she had seen on the activities fair.

She murmured a quick “Hey” and then focused on Aubrey's next words.

Aubrey clapped her hands together. “Alright people. Let’s get this started. I assume you all learned ‘Since You Been Gone’ by Kelly Clarkson?”

Next to her, Chloe cleared her throat. “Umm, Aubrey, I was supposed to go over the song with Beca yesterday but we kind of forgot. And she doesn’t know it.”

Aubrey glared at Chloe. “What could have possibly been more important than learning the song for the auditions? What were you two up to? Not another shower adventure I assume?”

Chloe got beet red and whispered to her blonde friend. “Shh, Aubrey! Not so loud! And for your information, there was no shower involved. How did you even find out about that? I haven’t had the time to tell you yet!”

Aubrey smirked. “News travel fast Chlo. Especially if your aunt is in on said news. I think she literally called me just minutes after you two hang up.”

Chloe groaned. Why did her best friend and her aunt have to get along so well?

Amy tentatively spoke up from the back of the stage where she stood next to a blushing Beca. “Umm, can we maybe get started? I have two dates lined up after this and times running.”

Aubrey quickly put her serious face back on. “Yes, we’ll start in a minute. Beca? You can sing something at then end when everyone else has finished. Stand back for now, so you won’t be in the way.”

Beca quickly shuffled away when the other auditioning students lined up and the music started to play.

 

After auditions were over, Beca had made her way back to her room. It was now late afternoon and she was lining up some new songs to mix together on her computer. She had her head phones on and didn’t notice that someone had come into the room until a pair of arms encircled her and a head with flaming red locks came to rest on her shoulder.

She pressed pause on the song that was playing and turned her head around to stare at Chloe’s bright blue eyes, while sliding her headphones around her neck.

“What’s up? And why are you hugging me?”

Chloe smiled. “This is because of your awesome audition. I love Lulu and the Lampshades and especially that song. You totally have to show me how to do that with the cup.”

Beca shrugged. “It was nothing special. I wasted a whole afternoon of my life trying to learn that thing off Youtube because I thought it was cool. Now at least, I could use it for something.”

Chloe disagreed. “No Beca. It was really great and I’m glad I got to experience it. By the way, you’re in.”

The red headed girl had finally let go of Beca so the brunette could turn around.

“Really? I thought Aubrey kind of didn’t like me.” Beca asked skeptically.

“Don’t worry about Bree. She might be a little harsh sometimes but she can notice talent when she sees it. Right now I’m supposed to kidnap you to initiation night, but since you are my roommate I guess I can just bring you along. And I’m guessing you wouldn’t have liked being dragged around with a bag on your head either way. So let’s skip that part and go to initiation night. Well, we have to be there in like an hour so I think we have a little time to spare. I’ll go and grab a shower, see you later.” That being said Chloe grabbed her stuff from her side of the room and left Beca to continue her mixing.

 

“We are going to have so much fun at this party!” Chloe exclaimed as she hugged Beca again on the stone steps leading down to an open area.

Seriously, did someone stick me with a sign that says ‘Free Hugs’? I’m starting to feel like a stuffed animal, Beca thought as she observed several of the other a capella people dancing and having fun.

Chloe said something about getting drinks and left Beca behind standing next to the blonde from the activities fair who calls herself 'Fat Amy' and Stacie, another new Bella.

“What am I doing here?” She whispers to Amy.

“Living the dream! I still can't believe they let my fat ass in.” the blonde replied.

“Me too! For some reason girls are usually threatened by me.” Stacie says as she rips of her top and shows off her smokin' body.

Damn, why are there so many hot people at this university? Beca thought while she ogled Stacie.

Before someone could notice Beca's ogling, Jesse stumbles up to them with two red cups in his hands.

“Becaw! Becaw! Are my eyes deceiving me? You're a Bella? Think of all the memories we're going to create together!”

Beca laughs at him. “And you're drunk. You won't remember anything tomorrow.”

He gave her one of the cups and continued talking.

“Isn't this awesome?”

“It's definitely something.” Beca replies flatly, not quite enjoying herself. She would rather work some more on her mixes. She had just had an awesome idea when Chloe came back from her shower and dragged Beca out of their room.

“Hey, Pssh, Becs!” Jesse whisper shouts at Beca.

The brunette girl looks at Jesse, who has grabbed her arm by now and is leaning in. “You remember what you told me at the radio station? About dating and stuff?”

Beca takes a step back. “Of course. I'm not the one who is drunk.”

“Whatever. So I thought why not use this opportunity to get you a girl! Or do you have a girlfriend already?” Jesse whisper shouts again. Beca carefully looks around them to see if anyone heard. It's not that her being gay was a secret but it's not something she wants laid out at a party like this.

“Keep it down, Jesse. And no, I don't have a girlfriend right now. But I'm really not searching either. I want to finish this one year of college as fast as I can, so I can move out to LA next year. I don't really have time for some fling. It probably won't hold after I move either. So let's spare us all the pain of dealing with a break up by me not going out in the first place.”

Jesse whines. “But Becaaaaaa! Where is the fun in that? Your college years should be fun! Full of experimenting with new things and all that. Live a little!”

“Experimenting, huh? If that's what you should do during your college years, then what about you? Any experimenting planned? I mean, a good looking guy like you would surely find some cute little freshman to experiment with a little” She grinned teasingly at him as he quickly turned bright red.

Beca gasped. “No way! You already got someone lined up? Damn, you are moving fast! Classes haven't even started yet!”

Jesse stumbled a little as he tried to look anywhere but at her.

“Noooo, why would you think that?”

Beca turned her flat stare at him. “Really? You are denying this? Then why have you turned beet red?”

Jesse frantically searched for something to change the topic as his gaze landed on a little scene a few steps over. Sadly, far enough away so he couldn''t quite get what was being said.

He grabbed Beca's sleeve and turned her around to look at the scene in front of them.

“What do you think is going on there? A lover's spat?” Jesse mumbled as they quietly observed.

Beca could see Chloe and Aubrey and a guy she didn't know. It seemed like he was arguing with Chloe while Aubrey was trying to get the red head away from him. The guy was getting louder and grabbed Chloe's arm. Before Beca could storm over and rain hell on that dude for touching her roommate, Aubrey quickly slapped his hand off of Chloe's arm and dragged a now crying ginger away.

“What the...” was all Jesse said.

Beca was too stunned to say anything and stood there with a confused look on her face. Chloe? She thought as she watched Chloe and Aubrey quickly walk away.

After a minute of stunned silence she quickly glanced at Jesse. “Sorry, Jesse. I'm not really in the mood for a party anymore. I think I'll just go home. See you around, yeah? We still have to grab that coffee.”

Jesse smiled at her. “Sure! I'll stay for a little bit. See you around.”

Beca quickly tossed her full cup of alcohol in some bin and began to make her way home while typing out a text.

**Hey Chloe, is everything all right? I saw you arguing with some dude and I think you were crying when you left. I just wanted to ask if you were okay? xoxo B**


	7. Chapter 7

_Fifteen minutes before Beca leaves the party_

Chloe had a good time. She was getting drinks for her and Beca and met Aubrey on the way. They talked for a short while but were interrupted.

“Chloe? Hey Chloe, I haven't seen you in two years.”

Chloe and Aubrey turned around and were met with the sight of Tom, Chloe's ex-boyfriend from high school. He had gotten taller and was holding a red cup filled to the brim with alcohol in his hand.

The red headed girl was surprised but answered him with a small smile.

“Hey, Tom. How are you? What are you doing here?”

“I'm fine. I've been studying here for the past two years, hasn't Aubrey told you? We met a few times when our classes overlapped.”

Chloe quickly shot a questioning look at her best friend who looked slightly uncomfortable but decided to have that specific conversation later.

“No she didn't but that's fine. It was nice to see you Tom, maybe I'll see you around.” Chloe answered and was about to turn around and walk away when his voice stopped her.

“No Chloe wait, don't you think you owe me something?” He was sounding a little angry now. And drunk.

Chloe was confused and furrowed her brows. “Owe you? What could I possibly owe you? We have broken up two years ago.”

“'We' have not broken up. You broke up with me via text two days after you stood me up at prom. Do you know how embarrassing that was? Everyone was asking were you were and I didn't have an answer because my girlfriend didn't think it was necessary to inform her boyfriend that she wasn't coming. I called you constantly and you never answered. And then I got a text that said 'I think we should break up'. That was the last thing you sent me. I went to your house but you never answered.”

Chloe's eyes had grown wide as Tom's voice had gotten louder. She didn't know that he had taken their break-up this badly. But she really had other problems to focus on during that time.

“I'm sorry Tom, but come on you knew that we weren't working.”

“That doesn't explain the way you did it. I just want an explanation. I've moved on and accepted the way things happened, but I still want an explanation.”

Chloe's eyes grew cold and she turned around to walk away. “No Tom, I don't owe you anything more than an apology. I'm sorry for the way it happened but I can't change that now. Please let it go.”

Aubrey was standing beside her now and was watching Tom with hawk eyes, waiting for a wrong move. Tom was clearly drunk and she didn't want him to hurt Chloe. As he moved forward and grabbed Chloe's wrist, Aubrey quickly intervened and slapped his hand away before any damage could be done. Chloe was rubbing her wrist and had tears in her eyes. Not from Tom's grip, that didn't hurt that much, but because of the whole situation. She only now realized that she had deeply hurt Tom and hadn't been fair to him. He had been a nice guy but she couldn't handle a relationship at that time. She didn't really think clearly those first few weeks and after she came to her senses, he had stopped calling and she assumed he accepted their break-up. She didn't realize that she never gave him a real explanation. But she didn't want to give him the real reason now either. Not while he was drunk. Maybe later, maybe never, but not now and not here.

“Please let it go, Tom. It's over and we both have moved on. Maybe I'll see you around. Goodbye.” With that, Aubrey took Chloe's hand and dragged her away from the party under the watchful eyes of one drunk brunette boy and one sober brunette girl.

 

Beca arrived at her dorm shortly after leaving the party. She looked around for Chloe but her roommate wasn't back yet. She glanced down at her phone but didn't see a reply to her earlier text yet. She was worried but Aubrey was with her, so everything should be fine. She would come back soon and then she could make sure that the other girl was alright.

She decided that she would call her grandma back in the mean time.

She quickly changed into her night clothes and dialed the number.

“Beca? Is everything alright? You hang up on me yesterday.” Her grandmother said worriedly.

Beca sighed and made herself comfortable on her bed. “Yeah, everything's fine. Just a small problem with my roommate. Nothing to worry about. Sorry for not calling earlier, but a lot of stuff has been going on.”

“Don't worry little one. As long as you're safe, everything is good. So, are you finally ready to tell me everything? Or is there another emergency that saves you from spilling your deepest darkest secrets?”

The brunette groaned. “You know all of them already. You made sure to get all of them out of me while I was living with you. And no, I don't think there will be another 'emergency' tonight. It was not a joke, so please don't make fun of it. I'm really worried.”

“I'm sorry, Beca. Why don't you start at the beginning? I'll listen to everything and hold my questions for when you are finished”

She did. The brunette girl told her everything since she arrived at Barden.

“So after I saw Chloe leave with Aubrey, I said goodnight to Jesse and went home and called you.”

Beca's grandmother let out a loud sigh before she started to talk. “You don't do anything the easy way, do you? You've been there three days and you could already make half a movie out of all the stuff that happened to you. Well, let's talk about the easy things first. I'm glad you found a friend in Jesse. He seems like a nice guy and he doesn't seem bothered that you're gay.”

“Yeah I'm glad too. I'm sure we'll be great friends. And I'm really curious about his behavior earlier today. Do you think he found someone he wants to experiment with already?”

“Sounds like it. Be sure to tease him a little when you see him next. And keep me posted! I'm living my college years through you since I couldn't go when I was young. So you better make it good.” she teased her granddaughter and laughed.

“Sure. I'll do everything in my power to make 'your' college experience as exciting as possible.” Beca sarcastically drawled.

This was just met with another laugh. “You do that. So now, your father. It seems like he really wants to apologize. You know, I'll never forgive him for what he did to you, but he is still your father. You should try and form some kind of relationship with him. He was devastated when your mom died.”

Beca started to get angry.

“Are you defending him? I was devastated when mom died too. He was the adult and should have helped me mourn but instead I was the one who had to get him back on his feet for two years. But I don't want to talk about that now. If I see him I'll be civil, because he promised to help me move to LA next year, but he did what he did. No amount of apologizing will excuse what he did in my book. I was fourteen and he threw me out of my own home. In the middle of the night. Just because I kissed a girl.”

Beca's grandma tried to calm her down and continued in a soothing voice. “I know little one. I was just saying that he seemed to want to mend your relationship. Maybe give him a second chance. Just think about it, that's all I'm asking. I think you would regret it, if you never even tried.”

“You said it yourself. You will never forgive him. Why should I?” Beca was growing tired of the topic. They had the same discussion a lot over the past years.

“Sarah was my only daughter. He failed her and he failed you after she died. That's two strikes. He's out. But your position is different than mine. He is your father. Just think about it.”

Beca was surprised. “Are you still blaming him for her death? You do know that it was an accident?”

“Yes I know. But I still can't forgive him. If they haven't fought, she wouldn't have left in a hurry and gotten into that accident. And it wasn't the first time they fought, but your were still so young and they didn't want to burden you so I don't think you noticed the scale of everything. I think your dad would have left you and your mom if she didn't get into the accident. In fact, he told her that he was moving out just days earlier.”

“Really? Why haven't you told me this before?”

“Because I thought that if I told you it would be harder for you to forgive him. And I want you two to have a relationship. I don't want you to end up alone when I'm not here anymore.”

“Don't say that grandma. You won't die any time soon. You are way too stubborn for that.”

Her grandma chuckled. “Yes, that's certainly true. I don't plan on going anywhere for a while. And now let's get to the main part of this discussion and leave the depressing stuff behind. So, your roommate. You like her.”

Beca blushed but tried to play it cool. “Sure, she's great. I think we'll be good friends.”

“Come on, I know you better than that. The way you talked about that girl is not the way you talk about a friend. Especially after that little scene in the shower you described. You couldn't keep your eyes of her, did you?” she was laughing now.

“Grandma!” Beca exclaimed and blushed brighter. “I knew I should have left that part out.” she mumbled.

“Don't you dare! That's the stuff I was talking about earlier. My college experience, you remember? So don't leave out all the good parts.”

Beca groaned. Why did her grandma have to be so noisy?

“I'll see what I can do. But on a more serious topic. Do you have any idea what I should do about that nightmare last night? She told me it was nothing but I'm not sure I believe her. I really want to ask and make sure she is alright but I've only known her for two days. I don't want to overstep a line or something.”

“I don't really know what I should tell you. But if you're really worried, keep observing her and see if she'll get another nightmare. If she does, you can try talking to her again. If not, it probably was the horror movie.”

“Hmm. I guess I'll do that. And what about today? The scene with the guy at the party? She really looked like she was crying. I sent her a text and asked if she was fine but she hasn't replied yet.”

“You said she went with her best friend?”

Beca hummed affirmatively.

“Then I won't worry too much. She'll take care of her. I'm sure you'll see her tomorrow. You have practice after all.” Her grandma began laughing again. “I never thought I'd see the day where you would join an all girls group where you had to sing and dance in public. Do you remember that one time in elementary school where you had to play that tree in that school play? You had just one line, but...”

“No! We're not talking about that! It's long in the past it has been buried very deep.” Beca hastily interrupted her grandmother's next words.

“Okay little one, I'll stop. But you better invite me to all of your performances. Talking about inviting, you know what will be in two weeks?”

“How could I forget? It's literally on the same day every year. You always throw a massive party. I won't forget your birthday any time soon.” Beca replied flatly.

“Just checking. So you'll come up for the weekend and bring your red headed 'roommate' with you. I want to meet her.”

Beca could practically hear the quotation marks on the word roommates but decided to let it go in favor of another problem.

“What? You want me to bring Chloe to your birthday party? Are you insane? She'll never want to have anything to do with me after you're through with her. Do you remember my girlfriend in my sophomore year? She never talked to me again after she met you and you two 'talked' in the kitchen.”

“Please, that girl was all wrong for you. You should thank me. And you said that Chloe was just a friend so there won't be a reason for me to 'talk' with her, right? Just bring her with you, I'll behave.”

Beca wasn't happy with that but agreed in the end.

“Fine, I'll ask her if she wants to come with me, but I'm not making any promises.”

“That's all I'm asking.”

The brunette let out a loud yawn that she had been holding in for the past five minutes. Her grandmother noticed this and decided to wrap the call up.

“It's getting late. You'll need your sleep for your first practice tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I'm really tired. I didn't get much sleep last night either. And I'm sure Aubrey will be mad if I'm late again. Even if I wasn't really late for auditions, I still had a minute. But I'm trying not to push her too far.”

“Just be there on time. I'm sure you two will be friends as well. Give it a little time. Call me soon and keep me posted. Good night, Beca.”

“I will. Good night grandma.”

Beca ended the call and checked her phone. Chloe still hadn't replied. It was late and Beca was tired. She was sure that Aubrey would take care of Chloe and decided not to worry for today. She rolled over in her bed, turned off the lights and fell asleep nearly instantly.


	8. Chapter 8

Beca jolted awake to the loud beeping of her alarm clock. She blearily opened her eyes and quickly located her phone. She silenced her alarm and noticed that Chloe had finally answered her text from the night before.

**Yes, I'm fine. Sorry for worrying you, I stayed with Bree last night. See you at practice! xoxo C**

Beca frowned. That didn't really explain anything. She wanted to call or text and ask what's really going on but she had to remind herself that she didn't really know Chloe yet. She would see her in half an hour anyway and decided to talk to her after Bellas practice. She quickly brushed her teeth, threw some clothes on and was on her way.

She arrived five minutes early and mentally patted herself on the shoulder for being on time for once. Bellas practice was held in a big room with stairs on one side and a big open space on the other side. In the middle of the open space were some chairs arranged in front of a whiteboard. Aubrey and Chloe were standing next to the whiteboard and seemed to be in some kind of discussion. Beca observed Chloe a little closer but she seemed to be fine.

Some girls were already sitting in the chairs in front of the whiteboard but Amy and Cynthia Rose, who Beca had met briefly at the Bellas initiation but hadn't really talked to, were standing in front of some pictures. Beca decided to go over to them and see what they were doing. She could hear them talking as she came nearer and stopped next to them.

“Twig bitches, all of them. You know if they had lived in Tasmania they wouldn't have gotten in my Glee club at school. The entrance test was wrestling with a dingo and a kangaroo. Simultaneously.”

Beca furrowed her brow. “What are you talking about? Who are those girls?”

Cynthia Rose decided to answer her. “The old Bellas. They were a lot different than our group now.”

Amy decided to interrupt. “Don't worry girls, I haven't heard any of you guys sing but I'm sure we're way better than those stuck up flight attendants.”

Before Cynthia Rose or Beca could answer, Aubrey called them over to start their first practice.

“Good morning everyone. As you can see, Kori is not here. Last night, she was Treble-boned. She's been disinvited from the Bellas.”

Beca looked around and saw wide eyes and shocked looks on all the other Bellas faces. Nobody was saying anything so she decided to be the one to question that ridiculous claim.

“Wait, that oath was serious?”

Aubrey's eyes zeroed in on Beca. “Dixie Chicks serious. You can fool around with anyone you want, just not a Treble.”

Stacie, who was sitting next to Beca, spoke up next. “That's not going to be easy. He's a hunter.” Stacie motioned to her crotch with a small smile.

“Stacie, the Trebles don't respect us. They treat us like we're one big joke. I can't stand it. So, anybody else have something to confess?” Aubrey looked around the room and noticed Mary Elise twitching in her seat. The blonde moved over to her and towered over her and glowered at the girl. After about 30 seconds Mary Elise crumbled under the pressure and nodded with tears in her eyes.

Aubrey held her hand out expectantly. “Turn in your scarf and go.”

The tears in Mary Elise's eyes started to fall. “But... It was an accident. It landed in my hand!”

Aubrey stayed strong and watched as Mary Elise took her chair and very slowly moved to the exit. She stopped every few seconds and turned around to see if someone would tell her to stay. Nobody did.

Beca watched the whole scene with wide eyes and quickly looked at Chloe and mouthed 'Really? Can she do that?'

The ginger just shrugged and mouthed back. 'I don't know. I'm new as well, remember?'

They continued to watch helplessly as Mary Elise finally reached the exit and ran outside. They could hear loud sobs growing fainter with distance and looked disbelievingly at Aubrey.

“Was that necessary?” Beca asked.

“This is war, Beca. It's my job to make sure my soldiers are prepped at go time with three kick ass songs sung and choreographed to perfection.”

Nobody had anything to say to that.

Aubrey continued as if nothing had happened. “So, first things first. We need a vocal percussionist. Does anyone know how to beatbox?”

Amy quickly put her hand in the air and shouted. “I do!”

Aubrey motioned for her to give a little demonstration. Amy did. It wasn't great. There somehow was a lot of spit involved.

The blonde leader sighed. “So that would be a no. We practice every day for at least two hours. Seven days a week. I trust you'll all add your own cardio.”

Before anyone could protest the seven days a week practice schedule, Amy spoke up again.

“Why cardio?”

“Why cardio? I'll tell you WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY...” Aubrey started belting the last word. After about thirty seconds of singing the jaws of the other girls started to drop and eyes widened. After about a minute, Amy started applauding. Others joined in.

Beca continued gaping and added under her breath. “Holy shit!”

Aubrey stopped singing after that and handed out papers as if nothing happened.

“This is a list of all the songs we've ever performed. You'll notice that we only do songs made famous by women.”

Beca looked disdainfully at the list. “Isn't that a little sexist? And there is nothing from this century on here.”

“It's not sexist, it's tradition. Our focus is perfecting our repertoire. It's why we're the best all-female group in the country. Now, let's start with some vocal warm-ups, practice scales, followed by arpeggios and then work our way up to choreography. Any questions?”

Stacie lifted her hand. “You said scales and then something about spaghetti’s?”

Aubrey groaned. “Arpeggios. God help me.”

After that the girls started dividing into groups to work on different aspects of their performance. Beca took the chance and quickly walked over to Chloe.

“Hey Chloe.”

Chloe looked at her happily. “Hey Beca! I hope you weren't lonely last night. I know you sleep better with me in the room.” She winked at Beca who rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, I managed. How was your sleepover with Aubrey?”

Before the red head could answer, Aubrey interrupted them and wanted everyone to start running on the stairs. Beca groaned but started running anyway. She stayed next to Chloe so they could continue their talk.

“It was fine. You know, she's my best friend and I haven't really seen her much these last two years. I'm glad we can see each other more easily now.”

Beca was already panting but powered through the pain to stay next to Chloe. Damn that girl could run. She hasn't even started breathing heavily yet.

“That's nice. So, about yesterday at the party. You left kind of abruptly. And it looked like you were crying. Is everything okay?”

Chloe send her a small smile. “I'm fine. I just met my ex-boyfriend from high school and he seemed to have some unresolved issues with our break up. It just became clear to me that I could have handled the actual breaking up part better than I did. I did hurt him and that wasn't my intention. So I was a little emotional when I left. Aubrey talked to me though, so I'm fine now.”

Beca was panting heavily now. “If you don't mind me … asking … how did you … break up with him?”

Chloe looked at her sheepishly. “I might have sent him a text. After standing him up at prom.”

Beca gaped and forgot that she was running. She stumbled down the last step of the stairs but thankfully didn't fall.

“With a text? Come on, that's the worst way! You at least owe someone a honest conversation face to face.”

Chloe had stopped running as well and started stretching while Beca was bend over with her hands on her knees and tried to get as much oxygen in her system as she possibly could.

“I know, it was awful. In my defense, I was in the hospital, so it kinda wasn't my first choice.”

Hospital?! Beca thought alarmed, but before she could question her roommate further, Aubrey called them away for some vocal exercises.

The rest of the practice they did some vocal exercises and some choreography. Beca noticed Chloe wincing a lot during the exercises. She resolved to ask her about that later when they had the time to talk.

Two hours later, Aubrey finally called an end to the practice session. Everyone was exhausted except for Aubrey and Chloe. Before they were dismissed, Aubrey reminded them that they had their first performance at some sorority houses fall mixer the next weekend.

All the girls quickly grabbed their bags and went their separate ways.

Chloe and Beca made their way back to their room, chatting about nothing in particular.

As soon as they arrived, both girls tossed their bags on their respective beds and grabbed a towel each.

Chloe was the first who noticed this and chuckled.

“You up for another shared shower?” she teased.

Beca looked at her confused until she noticed the towel in the other girls hands.

She started chuckling too. “Sure Chlo. But keep on your side of the curtain this time okay?”

Chloe winked at her. “No promises.”

Beca blushed as the memory of their shared shower experience manifested itself in her brain. “Didn't I tell you to never remind me of that again? And here you are, proposing a round two.”

Chloe just grinned. “Well, I seem to remember that it was a very pleasant experience. Why wouldn't I want to recreate that?”

Beca groaned. “Lets go already, I'm feeling gross from all the exercising.”

The red head grinned and both girls grabbed their shower bags and made their way down to the showers together.

It was the middle of the day and nobody seemed to showering at the moment. They grabbed shower stalls next to each other and started undressing.

Great, Beca sarcastically thought. Nobody here to distract me from the hot ginger in the stall next to mine.

Beca hopped into the shower quickly and started the water when a voice interrupted her.

“Umm Beca?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I maybe borrow some shampoo? Mine's pretty much gone and I don't really want to go back to our room and get a new bottle.”

“Sure.” The brunette said and pushed her bottle under the shower stall walls in Chloe's direction.

The red head quickly put some of the shampoo in her hair and gave the bottle back.

“Thanks. This smells awesome. I'll get you a new bottle when I go to the store later this week.”

“Don't worry. I'm sure you would do the same. It's just a little shampoo.” Beca replied and quickly finished her shower. She toweled herself dry and slipped her bathrobe on.

“Are you almost finished?” the brunette asked, waiting for her roommate.

“Yeah, just a second.” Chloe replied and rustled with her towel. She came out of her stall and Beca couldn't help but gape. She had seen Chloe naked before, but seeing her in just a towel with wet curls that were dripping water droplets into the other girls cleavage was a totally different turn on.

She gulped and cleared her throat.

Chloe giggled at Beca's gaping.

“Thanks for the compliment.”

“Wait, what?” Beca was confused. What was Chloe talking about?

Chloe chuckled. “You know I'm not blind. You are totally checking me out. And by the way you can't seem to stop staring, I would assume you like what you're seeing. So thanks for making me feel wanted.”

Beca blushed bright red. “Umm, let's just go. I'm hungry from all that running Aubrey made us do.”

Chloe led Beca off the hook and walked with her back to their room. They quickly dressed with their backs to each other and Chloe went into the small bathroom to start the blow dryer. Beca started her computer in the mean time and put a new playlist on. She went online and searched for some pizza place near campus.

“Hey Chlo?” she shouted over her shoulder.

The blow dryer stopped for a moment. “Yeah?”

“You want to order some pizza? I'm starving and too lazy to go anywhere.”

Chloe laughed but agreed. “Sure. Pineapple for me, please.” The blow dryer started up again.

Beca scrunched up her nose but quickly called the pizza place and put the order in. Peperoni for her and pineapple for Chloe.

When Chloe was finished drying her hair she came over to Beca and looked at Beca's open browser window.

“Really? Isn't peperoni a little boring?” she teased the small brunette.

Beca scowled at her. “I happen to like peperoni. And I've had all the excitement I can handle this week. So a little bit of normalcy is greatly appreciated.”

Chloe laughed. “I was just kidding. When is it going to be here?”

“The guy said something about half an hour.” Beca answered. She pulled a hair tie from her hand and just put her wet hair into a messy bun on her head. Chloe went over to her bed to sit down and Beca noticed that her roommate still seemed to have trouble swallowing.

“Umm, Chloe? I wanted to ask you this earlier but there was so much going on. I noticed that you seem to have trouble swallowing. Are you in pain? Did you get a cold or something?”

Chloe quickly looked away from Beca. “No, I don't think it's a cold. My throat has been itching this last week but I'm sure it will go away.”

Beca didn't believe her. “It seemed really painful at practice today. Why don't you just go and let it get checked out? Maybe it's nothing but if it's been going on for a week, it's worth checking out.”

Chloe looked uncomfortable. “Beca, please. I'm sure it will go away. I don't really like hospitals.”

Beca wondered why the older girl seemed so hesitant all of a sudden but didn't abandon her line of questioning. “Chloe, I'm serious. Get it checked out. I'll come with you if you want but I really don't want it to get worse. I'm pretty sure that it must hurt really badly otherwise you wouldn't have slipped up and let me see it.”

Chloe huffed but caved in. “Okay, I'll go to the doctors tomorrow. But only because you asked. You will come with me, right?” She looked at Beca with wide imploring eyes. Beca thought she detected fear deep in those baby blue eyes. Why was Chloe afraid of the hospital?

“Yes I'll come with you. Don't worry. Umm, on another note, have I ever told you about my grandma?”

Chloe jumped a little and seemed startled at the change of topic.

“You mentioned her briefly. Why? Is she alright?”

“Yes? Why wouldn't she be?” Beca was confused.

“Well, we are talking about the hospital and then all of a sudden you start talking about your grandmother. I just made the connection.”

Beca laughed. “No, everything is fine. Sorry about the abrupt change of topic. I've talked to her yesterday evening and she kind of invited you to her birthday party. She wants to get to know you. It's on Saturday in two weeks. You don't have to come, but I thought I would ask.”

Chloe started smiling. “What were you telling your grandma that she wants to meet me after one conversation with you?” she teased the small brunette, who promptly started blushing again.

Seriously, I haven't blushed so often in... I don't know, ever! What is this girl doing to me? So much for my hard ass reputation.

Beca cleared her throat. “Um nothing in particular. Just that you are a nice girl and my first friend here?”

“Was that a question?” Chloe was laughing now.

The brunette girl scowled. “Are you laughing at me?”

Chloe detected slight anger in Beca's voice and shut up immediately. “No, I'm sorry, I didn't want to be mean.” She cautiously said, not wanting to make the younger girl angry with her.

Beca could only hold her angry scowling face for so long before bursting into laughter. She grabbed her stomach and tried to talk between her bouts of laughter.

“You should have seen your face! Priceless!”

It was Chloe's turn to scowl now. She grabbed one of her many pillows and chucked it at Beca's head. Beca abruptly stopped laughing as the pillow hit her straight in the face and looked at her roommate with a serious face. “You didn't”

Chloe grinned. “Sure did. What are you going to do about it?”

Beca grinned back and grabbed the pillow Chloe had just thrown at her. “This means war, Beale!”

She jumped out of her desk chair and ran towards Chloe. Chloe quickly got up from her bed and started running. Where, she wasn't sure, but running was a good start. Beca threw the pillow she held in her hand and hit Chloe straight in the back as the girl reached the door to the bathroom. Both girls were grinning now.

The next five minutes were spent throwing everything soft they could find at each other and laughing.

A loud knock interrupted their impromptu pillow fight and they looked at each other with questioning eyes.

Beca went to the door and asked cautiously . “Yeah? Who's there?”

“Pizza delivery.”

Beca took a relieved breath and opened the door. In front of her stood a cute delivery guy who had the girls food in his hands.

“Just a second, I'll grab my wallet.” Beca went back into her room and grabbed her bag that had landed under her desk during their fluffy rendition of the third world war. Chloe searched for her bag to get the money for her own pizza, but Beca waved her off. “You bought me breakfast, remember? It's my turn.”

Beca quickly paid the delivery guy and went to stand in the middle of their room. “Umm, where should we eat? There's not really much space.”

Chloe laughed and quickly brushed everything from her own bed to make room for the two girls.

“We'll just eat in bed. Pizza tastes better that way anyway.”

Beca grinned at her and the two sat down to eat.

After a few seconds, Beca mumbled. “I so won that fight.”

Chloe looked affronted. “Excuse me? That was clearly a tie. We'll have to do it again if we want to know who is the better fighter in pillow fights.”

Beca narrowed her eyes. “You're on. You'll see, I'll win this. I hate losing, even if it is just a pillow fight.”

Chloe smiled. “We'll see.”

Using the opportunity that presented itself, Chloe used it to get to know more about Beca.

“So, Beca, that delivery guy was kind of cute, right?” She absentmindedly asked.

Beca was surprised by the question but didn't have a problem answering Chloe. She has been out since high school and she wanted to tell Chloe anyway. There just hadn't been a situation to bring it up until now.

“I guess so. But I'm not really interested in guys.”

Chloe's eyes widened and a bright smile crossed her face. “You are gay?”

Beca nodded and smiled back. “Yeah, pretty much all my life. Is that a problem for you?”

“No!” Chloe shouted but blushed as Beca looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “I mean, no, of course not. It's cool.”

Still smiling Beca replied. “Cool, glad you think so. So, have you thought about the birthday party for my grandma?”

Chloe nibbled on another piece of pizza and thought about it. “I would like to come, but I have to talk to some people first okay? And we still have to ask Aubrey if we can get out of practice for a few days. You heard her, two hours, seven days a week.”

Beca groaned. “I totally forgot about that. She was serious? Let's talk to her first thing in the morning okay?”

“Yeah. I'll get back to you if I can come later this week okay?”

“Sure.” The girls smiled at each other and finished their food.

The rest of the evening was spent talking and listening to music. Both girls had a great time and were happy that they had met each other. Both of them had a smile on their faces when they went to sleep that night.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning the two girls went to the doctors pretty early. Classes were finally starting and both girls had a class they had to be at at noon and in the afternoon there was Bellas practice.

Chloe looked pretty nervous as they walked to the bus station that would take them to the hospital. Neither girl owned a car. Chloe couldn't afford one and didn't really need one since she had lived just a couple blocks from Barden and could go over there to visit in about 10 minutes.

Beca didn't have a car either because she didn't need one when she was living with her grandma.

The brunette girl decided to distract Chloe and maybe ease her mind a little.

“So classes are starting today. Are you looking forward to them? You know, I think we never talked about that. I don't even know what kind of classes you are taking.”

Chloe visibly brightened. “Yes! I'm really looking forward to my classes. And I'm trying to become a nurse so I'm taking all those medical classes. I'm not sure what half of them are, but I guess there is only one way to find out. What about you? You told me you wanted to go to LA and be a producer. Are you taking some music related classes?”

Beca shrugged as the bus finally arrived and both girls got on and took seats next to each other.

“I don't really know. I've never really thought about it. As you know going to college wasn't really my plan. I guess I'll just take some classes that sound interesting and see how it goes. If you don't mind me asking, why a nurse? I was pretty sure that you would be a teacher or something along that line.”

Chloe's shining eyes dimmed slightly and a sad smile painted itself on her face.

“I thought about being a teacher but I just like the thought of helping people and making them feel better.”

Beca furrowed her brow in thought.

“I seem to remember you telling me that you don't like hospitals and that's why I woke up extra early today to go with you.”

Chloe shuffled nervously in her seat. “Yes, it kind of contradicts each other, doesn't it? But I really want to be a nurse so I had to face my apprehension of hospitals sooner or later. I thought I would get used to the hospital during classes. But I guess I'm getting a head start on that today, huh?”

Beca reached over to Chloe and took one of her hands in hers. “Don't worry, we'll just get your throat checked out quickly and then we can go. In and out, no lingering. And I'll be there to act as distraction if it gets too much.”

Chloe smiled at Beca and squeezed her hand in thanks.

“Thanks Becs. This really means a lot to me.”

They arrived at the hospital five minutes later and went to the reception. They told the lady sitting there why they were there and were sent to the waiting room to fill out some papers. Chloe filled them out quickly and brought them back to the reception lady. Beca had noticed that Chloe had sat herself a little sideways on purpose so that Beca couldn't read what she was writing. Beca wondered what was going on with her roommate but her thoughts were interrupted by Chloe coming back.

She sat in the chair next to Beca and let out a loud sigh while her face was blank.

“Nervous?”

Chloe chuckled quietly. “What gave me away?”

Beca shrugged. “Everything? Your behavior. You know that you behave differently when you are around people? When I met you, you were this bubbly red head who is always smiling and gets excited about pretty much everything. And you are like that when we are at Bellas practice or in public. But when we are in our room and no one is watching you are different. Quieter. Calmer I guess but not in a serene kind of way. The way you are now. Fidgeting. A lot more closed off. It's like you shut down your face or something because I can't really read you anymore.”

Chloe watched her but Beca couldn't quite read what the other girl was thinking. The red head closed her eyes briefly and slumped in her chair. After a few seconds she opened them again and stared at Beca with a calculating expression.

“How long have we known each other now? Four days? Five? And you already figured me out. You know, I can usually hide better than that. This damn throat must have made me slip up worse than I thought.”

Beca looked at her confused. “What are you talking about? I haven't figured out anything about you. You are very contradictory and I don't know what to do about that half the time. I'm winging this here. I have no idea what I am doing.”

Before Chloe could talk and Beca could finally get some answers, a doctor came and told Chloe that it was her turn now.

Chloe stood up. Beca did too and put a hand on her friends arm. “Do you want me to come with you?”

Still with that unreadable expression on her face, Chloe turned to Beca. “No, it's alright. I'll have to tackle this irrational apprehension on my own. I'll be back soon, don't worry.” She added a smile as she followed the doctor to an exam room.

Beca slowly sat back down in her chair and tried to figure Chloe out. As soon as Beca mentioned her behavior changes Chloe shut her out. Her face became blank and she became a lot more serious.

While Beca was pondering about Chloe, her phone chimed, signaling that she got a text.

**Hey weirdo! I'm still waiting for that coffee! When can we get together? I wanna talk to you about something... J**

Beca smiled. Jesse was like the annoying brother she never had. She thought about her schedule that week and quickly texted him back.

**Who are you calling a weirdo, weirdo? Don't we have two shifts at the station together this week? You'll see me there. But we can meet up next week? I have a performance with the Bellas this weekend and Aubrey is really working us hard so not much free time. B**

The brunette girl quickly sent the text and busied herself with one of those addicting smartphone games. She didn't want to think about Chloe's behavior any longer. She'll just ask her later. That will hopefully save her from going prematurely gray from thinking too much.

A few minutes later she got an answer from Jesse.

**You know what Luke told us. No sex on the desk. So, the station won't work for our little talk ;) But next week is fine. I'll just have to mellow in self pity until the fair maiden decides to honor this undeserving loser with her presence. On a different note, you already have your first performance? Where is it? I have to see that! And by the way, a hot blonde girl working you hard? Whats not to like? J**

Beca suppressed a laugh and quickly typed a reply.

**Dude, no! Firstly, I'm not telling you where our performance is. We suck. We've only been practicing for a few days and the set list is awful. Nobody needs to see that, especially not you. Secondly, Aubrey? No way. I'm not going there. Ever. Don't you have classes or something? Pay attention! It's your first day!**

Beca didn't really care about classes but she didn't want to be the reason Jesse got in trouble for texting in class.

Just then Chloe came back out of the exam room. Beca still couldn't read the expression on her roommates face.

Beca hastily stood up and grabbed her bag. She walked over to Chloe who was just standing there and staring into space.

“Hey, how did it go?” Beca asked carefully.

Chloe seemed to shake herself out of her thoughts and gave the other girl a small smile that didn't reach her eyes.

“The doctor said he wasn't a hundred percent sure but it looks like I have vocal cord nodules.”

Beca looked at her with a blank look on her face. “You have what?”

“Vocal cord nodules. He said that it's like a swelling on both vocal cords that hurts when I sing and speak. He wants to do more tests, but normally it can be corrected by a lot of rest of the voice and some vocal training and therapy. In rare cases you can have surgery to remove them but he doesn't think that will be necessary.”

“Why are you so calm? I thought you loved to sing? Isn't this getting in the way of your dreams with the Bellas?” Beca was confused. Why wasn't Chloe reacting to this? If it were Beca in her place she would freak out. She didn't use her voice in public very often but she relied on it for her mixes. She sometimes mixes the tracks and layers her own voice on top of it to see how it would work together with small changes.

Chloe shrugged and started walking out of the hospital. Beca quickly followed her and waited until the other girl started talking.

“I do like to sing. But in the grand scheme of things, is this really so bad? I mean, yes, I have to go to vocal therapy and maybe can't sing for a few weeks, but it's not life threatening. I can fix this, so I am lucky. Not everyone has this chance.” Chloe replied sadly.

Beca gaped. Who was this girl? The Chloe she had met just a few days earlier would have been bawling her eyes out because she wouldn't be able to sing and help Aubrey out. The red head loved her best friend and would do anything for her. They could finally do something fun together and now something was standing in the way.

Before Beca could process what Chloe was saying, the bus came and both girls got in.

Chloe looked at her watch and saw that it was 10.40 am. She turned around to Beca and smiled at her. “So now that the depressing part is done, you want to grab some coffee? We still have a little over an hour before we have to be at our first classes.”

“Chloe, you are confusing the hell out of me. What is going on? First you are your normal bubbly self, then you are afraid, then when I ask you about it, you get blank and quiet and now you are back to happy Chloe. Not quite bubbly yet, but better than that expressionless mask.”

Chloe sighed. “Don't worry Beca. Nothing is wrong. I just have a lot to deal with at the moment okay? Can you please drop this? And please keep the visit to the hospital to yourself. I don't want Aubrey to worry about it. I can still sing a little bit if I rest my voice when we don't have practice.”

Beca was skeptical. “I really don't want to pry, but are you sure you are alright?”

“Yes, I'm fine. Just nervous about the hospital and then you called me out on my behavior which surprised me a little. You are more observant than I thought.”

“Hey!” Beca exclaimed affronted. “Was that an insult?”

She decided to give Chloe her space for now. She would ask her again later.

Chloe snickered. “Maybe. So now, what do you say about that coffee?”

Beca grinned. “Sure.”

Both girls went and got their coffee. They talked about unimportant stuff but had fun none the less and went their separate ways when it was a little before noon so they wouldn't be late for their first classes.

The rest of the week wasn't all that exciting. Beca and Chloe were busy with classes and Beca had her shifts at the radio station in the evening. The girls grabbed some coffee or lunch a few times but didn't really have time to talk. Both were pretty tired after Bellas practice so they fell asleep quickly.

Beca noticed that Chloe was gone the two evenings she had her shift at the radio station and didn't come back until nearly midnight. Beca was already in bed and didn't want to bother her friend. When she asked her about it the next day, Chloe just said she visited home. Beca wasn't sure if she believed her but gave the girl the benefit of the doubt.

She found something else out in these days though. The nightmares definitely weren't due to a horror movie, Beca thought as she listened to Chloe's quiet whimpering. She was prepared to jump out of bed and wake Chloe up if it got worse but Chloe seemed to calm down after a few minutes.

Before Beca had time to confront Chloe about the nightmares and all the things she had let go over the past week, the weekend quickly rolled around and it was the day of their first performance.

All the girls were nervous. Aubrey tried to cheer them up and get some confidence in them but it didn't work.

They started singing and it was a mess. They didn't have the choreography down, so they were bustling around trying not to hit anybody. As they finished, they were met with unimpressed silence and Aubrey got dragged away by a frat boy. When she came back minutes later, she shooed the Bellas down the sidewalk.

“We are not getting paid for this. I hope you all remember the way you feel right now, so you will never want to feel this way again.”

All the Bellas muttered some form of 'Sorry' under their breaths.

Aubrey turned around to Chloe who has been weirdly quiet these last few days.

“And Chloe, your voice did not sound 'Aguilerian' at all.”

Beca quickly interrupted Aubrey to distract her from Chloe.

“How are we going to pay for regionals?”

Aubrey stopped for a moment and looked at her new friends.

“Well, a 'bikini car wash' is out of the question...”

That earned her an affronted “Hey!” from Stacie and Amy and the blonde Tasmanian continued. “I'll give up my body for a good cause.”

Aubrey ignored her and talked to herself.

“Think, Aubrey, think. Maybe we could start a singing telegram business. Thoughts, Chloe?”

Chloe just stared into space.

“Seriously, Chloe! What is wrong with you?”

Beca had noticed that something was on the girls mind all day. It couldn't be the nodes thing, Chloe had known about that all week. No, this was something new.

Chloe looked like a deer caught in the headlights and spurted out the first believable thing that came to mind.

“I have nodes!”

Aubrey gasped. “What? Oh my god!”

The other Bellas just stared in silence. Nobody knew what nodes were.

Chloe continued. “I found out earlier this week.”

Since nobody seemed to want to speak, Amy asked the relevant question.

“Umm, what are nodes?”

“Vocal Nodules. The rubbing together of your vocal cords at above-average rates without proper lubrication.” Aubrey explained.

“They sit on your windpipe and crush your dreams.” Chloe said sadly.

“Isn't that painful? Why would you keep performing?” Amy asked.

“Because I love to sing.”

“It's like when my lady doctor told me not to have sex for six weeks and I did it anyway.” Stacie remarked.

The Bellas looked at her funny. “You should really listen to your doctor” Amy mumbled.

When nobody had anything else to say, the Bellas decided to go home and relax for the rest of the day.

Beca quickly ran after Chloe when the girl was hurrying back to their dorm. She caught her a few steps before they arrived at their door.

“Hey Chloe, wait, can we talk? I know that the nodes aren't the reason for your mood today, since you knew about them for a few days and seemed fine with them. So what is really going on?”

Chloe sighed.

“Can't you just let it go? I'm not ready to talk about this. I haven't even told Bree yet.”

“If that's what you want. But remember that I am here when you want to talk. You are my friend and I want to help you.”

That got a genuine smile out of Chloe. She took Beca's hand and squeezed lightly.

“Thanks. I'm glad that I met you. You are a good friend Becs.” With that, she let go of Beca and went into their room.

Beca frowned. Yeah, good friend I am. I have no idea what's going on with her or what I can do to make it better. Why can't she just open up a little? I just want to help her!

The brunette was starting to get a little frustrated with Chloe. The red head deflected every single question she asked. And if she answered, it was vague. Beca understood the need for secrets, she really did, but she was worried about her roommate.

Again she decided to let it slide. She could only push Chloe so far, before she would get mad. And that was something Beca definitely wanted to avoid. She liked the red head and she wanted a shot with her. Be it friendship or something more. She didn't want to ruin it by pressuring her into talking. She just had to be patient but let Chloe know that she wouldn't let it slide forever.

Beca sighed and went into their room. She would use this evening to mix a little more and maybe talk with Chloe about the only thing she seemed truthful and happy about. Music. Tomorrow she would try and get Chloe to talk again. And she had to get that answer from her for her grandma. She hoped the red head would say yes.


	10. Chapter 10

_A few days before the performance at the sorority house..._

Chloe used the time Beca was working at the station to visit her mother. She didn't want to make a secret out of visiting home but she didn't want to have to explain things. One thing would lead to another and then Beca would ask questions she really didn't want the small brunette to ask. Not because she didn't trust her or didn't want her to know, but Chloe believed that she shouldn't burden other people with her problems. Aubrey and her aunt knew what was going on and were helping her. That was enough. Beca had enough problems of her own.

So as soon as Beca left for work, Chloe grabbed her stuff and made the ten minute walk over to her childhood home. She opened the front door and went to the kitchen in search of her mother.

“I'm home, mom! Where are you?”

Claire Beale came out of the living room and rushed straight to her daughter to envelop her in a big hug.

“Chloe, sweetie! I'm so happy you are here. You have to tell me everything that has happened. Phone calls just aren't the same.”

Chloe embraced her mother's hug and held her for a few minutes, taking her smell in.

“I will mom, don't worry. But first things first; how are you?”

Claire let her daughter go and snatched her hand up, dragging her to the couch in the living room. Mother and daughter sat down and made themselves comfortable.

“You worry too much Chloe. I'm fine. Today at least. So let me enjoy a good day and let's spent it talking about your college life.”

“But mom, aunt Julia called me yesterday and told me that you fainted in the middle of breakfast. That hasn't happened before. What if it's back already? Have you been to the doctor's yet?” Chloe had become agitated and was pacing the room while talking to her mother.

Claire grabbed her daughters hand and pushed her back down into the couch.

“Chloe, calm down. I have an appointment tomorrow and then we'll see if it's back or not. We have been through this countless times in the last two years and I'm still here. Don't worry so much. I am your mother and I should be worrying about you and not the other way round.”

Chloe let out a defeated sigh. “I know. But I am so scared that you will be gone the next time I come over. The doctor told us that the chemotherapy isn't working. They are just prolonging the inevitable. I can't loose you mom.” Tears were quickly forming in the red heads eyes.

Claire enveloped her daughter in a hug and tried to soothe her by running her hand through red curls.

“I know sweetie. I am so sorry you have to go through this. I'm a terrible mother aren't I?” Claire chuckled humorlessly.

Chloe pushed out of her mother's hug to look her in the eyes.

“No mom, this isn't your fault. Anybody can get sick.”

“I'm not talking about that part and you know it. You have put your life on hold for me these last two years. You have helped me through every rough stretch of chemotherapy and worked when I couldn't. You paid the bills in this house because I couldn't. I didn't want to place this burden on you.” Claire had tears running down her face by now.

Chloe got up from the couch, went to the kitchen to grab some tissues and sat back down on the couch again. She gave one to her mother and took one for herself to dry the tears from earlier.

“Mom, look at me.” She waited until her mother stopped blowing her nose and laid her hands on her mother's.

“I love you mom. You are not a burden and never were. I happily 'gave up' two years of my life to take care of you, even though I don't see it like that and you know it. I worked because you couldn't and it wasn't a problem for me. I would have continued if you hadn't basically forced me to go to college now. I mean, I would have gone eventually but it didn't have to be right now. I want to be there for you.”

Chloe made sure each sentence got through to her mother by squeezing her hands after every point she made.

“I know sweetheart. But I feel like I am taking part of your life away from you by taking up all of your time. You are 21, you shouldn't stay home and help me. You should be out there partying and having fun. You should make stupid decisions and wake up with a huge hangover. You should meet new people and experiment. You shouldn't break up with your boyfriend because of me.”

Chloe stopped her mother at this point.

“No, wait mom, I didn't break up with Tom because of you. I planned on doing that before the accident, we just weren't working. I just wanted to end the school year on good terms and spent prom with him as a last date. I didn't want to leave him hanging, that would have been cruel. Even though I ended up doing that anyway.” Chloe chuckled humorlessly.

“Oh sweetie. Why didn't you ever tell me that? I thought you broke up with him because you didn't have time anymore because of me.”

“I thought I told you why when I broke up with him? I had just been released from the hospital.”

Claire shook her head. “No, we never talked about that. I think I asked you once why Tom wasn't coming over anymore and you told me you broke up with him. You seemed fine so I didn't pry. I thought you would come to me if anything serious happened.”

Chloe tilted her head in confusion. “Huh. I thought I told you. Anyway that's not important anymore. It's over and done with. But that reminds me, I actually met him at Barden a few nights ago.”

Her mother perked up and was happy about the opportunity to steer this conversation into less depressing territory. “What? Really? What did he say?”

Chloe, not wanting to continue talking about her mother's sickness any longer either, nodded quickly.

“Yeah, we were having a party at initiation night for the new Bellas. I was just getting a drink for Becs and me and I was talking to Aubrey when he came up to me. I nearly didn't recognize him, he really changed. He told me he has been going to Barden these last few years. Bree apparently knew about that but didn't tell me about it. I confronted her about that the next day and she told me she didn't think it would be such a big deal since I was the one who broke up with him and not the other way round. She thought it wasn't important since he isn't a part of my life anymore.”

“And what do you think about meeting him again?”

“Ugh, I don't know. Talking to him made me realize that I was a shitty girlfriend. I broke up with him through text for god's sake. Who does that? Even Beca told me that breaking up through text message is a shitty move. I realize that now but at the time I didn't really think about it. I just didn't want to string him along and thought it would be better to end things sooner rather than later.”

Claire smirked. “Beca, huh?”

Chloe blushed. “Shut up. We weren't talking about her.”

“Well, we weren't but you brought her up anyway. Why do you think that is?”

Chloe slapped her mothers arm playfully and groaned. “You have been watching too much of those bad reality shows on TV mom.”

Claire grinned. “What? I have a lot of time on my hands. And not everything is from those shows. Dr. Stevens always asks me questions like that.”

Dr. Stevens has been her mother's psychologist these past two years. She was recommended to Claire by the hospital after the first diagnosis.

“Whatever. You want to hear about my college life or not?” Chloe huffed and crossed her arms in front of her.

Claire just laughed. “Yes. But I'm sure Beca will come up again in conversation. I can wait.”

“You're horrible mom. Classes have finally started and I am really enjoying them. You know I have been wanting to be a nurse for a few years now and I can finally start working towards my dream. I love being able to see Bree so often. I know she wasn't that far away but with me working and her classes and the Bellas we never really had time to properly meet up. That's much easier now. And we see each other every day because of Bellas practice, it's awesome.”

Chloe's eyes shone brightly as she talked about the last week and what she had been up to with the Bellas and Aubrey. Claire smiled silently to herself as she saw how happy college made her little girl. She was relieved that she had made the right decision when she told Chloe to move out and go to college.

When Chloe stopped talking, Claire was shook out of her own mind and started paying attention again. Her daughter was wringing her hands and bit her lips nervously.

“What's wrong honey?”

“I told you about my doctor's appointment earlier this week, right? About the nodes?”

“Yes, sweetie. But you told me it wasn't that serious and it was treatable. Is there a problem?” Claire asked worriedly.

Chloe shook her head. “No, it's not about that. It sucks that I can't sing the next few weeks but it's not that bad. But Beca came with me to the appointment and started asking questions. And I don't know what to tell her.”

“About what? And why not tell her?”

“I can't mom. If I start talking about one thing then I would have to explain everything because everything is connected.”

Claire looked at her daughter with a confused look on her face. “I still don't get it. What exactly is it that you don't want her to know?”

Chloe groaned and ran her hands through her hair.

“I don't know! Everything? It's just so much. What if she doesn't want to deal with me and all my problems if she knows about them? I really like her mom and I don't want to scare her away.”

Chloe knew that her mom didn't have the whole picture. She had never told her about her fear of hospitals and her constant nightmares so her mother wouldn't worry. She learned how to hide her nightmares and when she went to appointments in the hospital with her mother, she always took her music with her to distract her. It has been working so far.

“I don't know Beca but from what you told me she doesn't seem like a person who would run from you when things get tough. She seems to care about you. Let her in sweetie. You haven't made a new friend in so long. Aubrey is great and I love her to pieces but one friend isn't enough Chloe. Beca seems like a good choice for a friend. Or maybe a little more?” Claire added teasingly.

Chloe blushed again. “Mom! Can you stop that please? We're friends.”

“For now.” Chloe's mother added with a grin.

The red head put her hand in front of her eyes. “Whatever. But since we are on the topic of Beca anyway.” She sent a quick glare in her mother's direction. “I wanted to ask you something. Beca's grandma's birthday is in two weeks and Beca is driving there to spent it with her. She said there will be a big party and she invited me along. I said I would think about it, but I wanted to talk to you and aunt Julia first, in case you need me here that weekend.”

Claire smiled, happy that Chloe was starting to have a life again.

“Of course you can go sweetie. Your aunt and I will be fine. It's just a weekend, nothing will happen if you let me out of your sights for two days. You are really protective, you know that?” she teased.

“I have to! You are always joking about this. And I don't want something to happen to you.”

Claire hugged her daughter again. “I know. It's easier for me if I joke about it, you know that. And your protectiveness just shows me how much you love me. But seriously, don't worry about us and have fun at that party. I want details when you get back.”

Chloe smiled. “Yes, I know that. And I really want to go with Beca. I'm sure it will be fun.”

“Then go. But you really have to bring her here sometime. I want to meet the girl that has my little girl so flustered.”

“Mom!”

Claire chuckled. “It's only fair. Her family gets to meet you so I should get to meet Beca.”

Chloe mumbled something about 'troublesome parents' under her breath that made Claire smile brighter.

“Come on Chloe, it's getting late and we haven't even started dinner yet. Let's get things started, otherwise your aunt will bitch around when she comes home from work hungry and no food is ready.”

Chloe laughed. “She knows that she's not actually living here? She has a whole apartment for herself just down the street.”

“I know that, but since I'm cooking anyway it kind of became a thing for her to come over after work. That way she can check up on me too. I know how worried you guys get.”

“Can you blame me? Anyway let's get started. What are we having?”

“I thought just spaghettie's and a side salad?”

“Sounds delicious. Let's get to it. Now that we are talking about food, I'm getting hungry.”

Mother and daughter smiled as they went into the kitchen to start on dinner.

As Chloe got the salad out of the fridge her mother came up behind her and gave her a tight hug.

“I love you sweetie. Never forget that.”

“I know. I love you too mom.” Chloe said sadly.

They continued their dinner preparations and were nearly finished when Julie came home from work. They ate together and talked about college and Julia's new work place before Chloe noticed the time and decided to head back to campus. She wanted to be home before Beca came back from her shift to avoid questions.

She got home about fifteen minutes later and she was glad to see that Beca was already asleep. She quickly changed out of her clothes and went to bed. She was asleep in minutes.


	11. Chapter 11

Jesse finally got his coffee date with Beca on Monday at around noon. They got some coffee to go and decided to sit down on the grass in the middle of the campus. Beca had her laptop with her and Jesse was carrying a duffel bag. As Beca sat down Jesse opened his bag, laid out a bath towel and put two juice boxes, an ugly candle and a box of Pringles on it.

Beca looked at the things. “What's all this?”

“As much as I love spending time with you stacking cd's, and I do, like, more than life, I thought we could do other fun things that wouldn't make us want to kill ourselves.”

Jesse got some dvd's from his bag and laid them out before Beca.

“'Up', 'Slumdog Millionaire', 'Breakfast Club', “Star Wars' and 'Rocky'. Best scored and sound-tracked movies of all time. That's what I want to do when I grow up. Score movies. Bring people to tears. Blow people's minds. Only music can do that.”

Beca's interest was now peaked.

“Wow, you must sweep your girlfriend off her feet.” she drawled sarcastically.

Jesse swatted her arm. “I don't have a girlfriend and you know it.”

Beca decided to play the game a little bit longer.

“What? But you have juice boxes and 'Rocky'!” she gasped playfully.

“Yes, play it up. Have fun. But seriously, not all of us can be Luke. Man that guy looks great in a fedora.”

Beca's eyebrow rose. “Luke, huh? I seem to remember a conversation about 'experimenting' in college and you blushing bright red. Does that have anything to do with Luke by chance?”

Jesse scoffed. “No! I don't even like that guy.”

“He gets under your skin, huh?”

“I don't like how much cooler he thinks he is than me. Even if he is, in fact, much cooler than me.”

Jesse picked up his dvd's then and held them up for Beca to see.

“What do you want to watch first?”

Beca furrowed her brow. “Didn't you want to talk to me about something? How about we do that? Or maybe talk about our feelings or go to the gynecologist?”

“What, you don't like movies?”

Beca just shrugged.

Jesse became agitated. “Any movies?!”

“I watched a porno at a high school party once. The music was okay if you're big into sax solos...”

“What is wrong with you? Not liking movies is like not liking... shapes!”

“I mean, they are fine. But I get bored and never make it to the end.”

Jesse grew louder. “The ending is the best part!”

Beca chuckled at Jesse's antics. He was waving his hands around and was looking at her with big imploring eyes. “Hey, you don't have to cry. It's just, they're so predictable. The guy gets the girl,the kid sees dead people...”

“They are not! You need a movie education.”

“I'd have to schedule it around Bellas rehearsals which are always.”

“Getting ready for the riff-off?”

Glad for the change in topic, Beca quickly asked what a riff-off was.

Jesse explained it to her and Beca decided to ask Aubrey what she was planning for the riff-off at practice later in the day.

“So, now that we got that ridiculous conversation about movies out of the way, you wanted to talk to me about something. And I wanted to ask your opinion on something as well.” 

They had finished their coffees by now and Beca had started playing a little background music on her laptop and was drinking one of the juice boxes Jesse had brought.

Jesse looked nervously from left to right but didn't find any other students in their immediate surroundings.

He was opening his mouth a few times to start talking, but nothing came out. He sighed and motioned for Beca to start. “Go ahead. I'll go after you.”

Beca mustered Jesse and raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? It seemed pretty important last week.”

“Yes, don't worry. I can wait a few more minutes.”

“Okay, so, I told you a little about my roommate, right?”

Jesse nodded. “Chloe. Who you have a huge crush on.”

Beca blushed and growled at Jesse. “Shut up. I have not, and even if that were the case, that's not the point of this conversation.”

Jesse only grinned and waited for Beca to continue talking.

“Anyway, so I'm really worried about her. And I really have to talk to someone about this, but I don't really know who and my grandma isn't really helping me much right now, so as my official best friend / lesbro, you have to help me. But you can't tell anyone about it, least of all Chloe.”

“Woah, stop for a minute there. Calm down and tell me what happened.”

Beca did. She told him about their first official meeting in their shared dorm room (leaving the shower incident out; she really didn't want him to laugh at her), about the nightmares, the doctor's appointment and the mood swings. She tried to tell the story in as much detail as possible so he'd maybe find some clues that she didn't think of.

When she finished her story, Jesse was silent for a few minutes.

“I agree with you Beca. Something is going on with her. But she doesn't want to talk about it. I think her best friend might know more. You told me several times that she talked to Aubrey quite often and that she 'didn't even tell Bree yet'. If you really want to find out more you should talk to her. Don't you have practice in a few hours? Why don't you stay behind and see what she might tell you.”

Beca thought about it for a few moments. “Talking to Aubrey might be a good idea, but I don't want to go behind Chloe's back like that. Our friendship is still new and I don't want to ruin it over this. She told me she wasn't ready to tell me yet and I have to believe that that means that she will talk to me about it at some point. And even if I go to Aubrey, I doubt that she will just tell me.”

Jesse shrugged. “I know what you mean, but if I were you I would try. This seems serious and if you could help her, you should try everything you could. I think this is a case of 'she won't like it in the beginning but it will help her later on'. I don't really know Chloe but from what you told me she seems like a nice girl.”

Beca sighed. “I guess you are right. I don't want to pry but I think I should go and talk to Aubrey. Even if she doesn't tell me anything, at least I tried.”

“Don't worry so much about this. If Aubrey is in on it, it can't be that bad. At least she's not going through it alone.”

“Yeah. Well, I'll see what Aubrey has to say at practice. I even have a reason to stay and talk to her because I want to talk to her about the riff-off. Thanks for listening, Jesse. Now, back to you Mr. Lesbro. What was so important last week? What do you want to talk to me about?”

Jesse became shy again and rustled around a bit. 

“Well, so I have been thinking about some stuff since initiation night and I'm not sure what to do. You told me you were gay right?”

Beca had a feeling she knew where this was going.

“Yep. As I already told you.”

“Yeah, I know, but how did you know? You said you came out at the beginning of high school. How did you know that you liked girls? And why only girls and no guys?”

“Hmm, I guess I just never saw guys like that. When some girls from my class in middle school were fawning over some cute guys in magazines, I never felt like joining them. I mean, sure, I could appreciate if someone was good looking but I was never really that into it. After thinking about it for a while I noticed that I found girls way more attractive. At the beginning of high school I had a friend and I really liked her. After being awkward around each other for a few months we just decided to talk to each other and we found out the we actually liked each other. Since we hadn't been kissed yet, we decided to try it out together and it was awesome. Never looked at a guy in that way again after that. I don't really know how to explain it any better. I just knew after that.”

Jesse frowned. “Well, that's not really helping.”

Beca shrugged apologetically. “I'm sorry. Why do you want to know?”

“It's just that I have been thinking things about a guy I got to know when I started here and I don't really know what to do. I've always liked girls and now I really like this guy and I don't know what to do.”

Beca tried to comfort Jesse by putting a hand on his arm.

“You don't have to do anything you don't want to. Have you talked to this guy about this?”

Jesse shook his head. “No. He's my roommate and I don't want things to get weird between us. Especially if I don't even know what I'm feeling.”

Beca couldn't help but laugh for a moment. “Roommate, huh? We sure got assigned the right ones when we started here.”

Jesse chuckled a little but quickly became serious again. 

“Seriously Beca, what should I do? How do I know if I really like him or if I'm just curious?”

“I can't really help you with what you are feeling but I think you should contemplate if you like him for his personality and character or if you just think he's hot. Maybe tell him about me and ask his thoughts on gay people. That could help. If he was entirely against it, I wouldn't bring it up. But I really think you should give this a chance. Experimenting doesn't only mean one night stands. Date this guy if he agrees and maybe you'll find out that you're bi or maybe you'll find out that it was just a phase and you like girls. If he is a nice guy he'll let you down gently if he doesn't reciprocate your feelings.” 

Jesse put his hands in his hair and groaned. “This is so fucked up. I don't even know if I really like him as more than a friend.”

Beca contemplated her next move shortly and then gave him a quick hug. “There. People tell me that hugs comfort people. Be happy with this one because it's the only one you'll get. And don't beat yourself up over this. You'll figure it out in time. Think about what you like about this guy and you'll know what to do.”

Jesse gladly hugged her back and smiled a little. “Thanks Beca. You didn't really have an answer for me but I think talking to you helped.”

Beca disengaged from the hug and grinned. “Don't worry about that. I'll gladly help you if it means I can forget about my own problems for a while. Don't forget to keep me posted about what's happening with that guy, my grandma needs all the scoop she can get.”

Jesse looked at her with a confused look on his face. “Your grandma? What does she have to do with anything?”

Beca laughed. “I guess I never really told you about her, huh? Well, sit back and enjoy this story. My grandma is seriously awesome but also seriously noisy.”

Beca then started telling Jesse some stories about her grandma when she was living with her and about her phone call the other night about Beca's shared 'college experience' and stuff.

When Beca was finished Jesse had been laughing for a few minutes already. He finally stopped when Beca punched him in the arm playfully.

“Dude, stop laughing! You're going to choke.”

“Sorry.” Jesse grinned. “Your grandma sounds awesome. I really want to meet her one day. And don't worry I'll keep you posted on the whole college drama front. I'm sure I can dig some stuff up about other people, so that your grandma can get the whole 'college experience' she seems to want. Because, no offense, but I don't think she'll get that much from you. If it isn't related to Chloe, you're kinda boring. Always mixing and stacking cd's. We should totally go out to a club some time to meet new people. You need more than two friends. Or better, one friend and a Chloe. Because let's be serious, you guys are so not friends. I bet she's totally into you.”

It was Beca's time to blush now. “Jesse! I really have other problems right now. I'm worried about Chloe and I want to help her. I can't think about getting in her pants while I do that, or I'll fuck everything up.”

Jesse was still grinning. “So you admit to wanting into her pants?”

Beca groaned and got up from her place on the grass. They had been out there for a few hours, just listening to music and talking.

“I'm going now. Away from you. Have fun with your roommate and keep me posted. Let's see if I can maybe meet Aubrey before practice starts. I want to talk to Chloe after that, so we can maybe go home together. See you, weirdo.”

Jesse laughed and waved at Beca as she was making her way to Bellas practice which would be starting in half an hour. “Right. See you weirdo. Have fun!”

 

Beca arrived at practice with 20 minutes to spare and was happy to see that Aubrey was already there (alone) and writing something down on the whiteboard.

She approached the blond girl and greeted her. 

“Hey Aubrey. Do you have a minute?”

Aubrey turned around and was surprised to find Beca standing behind her.

“Beca? Are my eyes deceiving me or are you actually early for once?” she teased with a grin on her face.

Beca frowned. “Haha. Very funny. And just for your information, I've never been late to practice. I'm always on time.”

“Yeah, right on time. As in 'ten seconds left' on time.”

Beca rolled her eyes. “Whatever. So, do you have a minute?”

Aubrey grinned and went to the piano bench to sit down. “Sure, what's up?”

Beca was distracted for a moment. “Do you play? You seem really comfortable there.” The brunette motioned to the piano bench.

Aubrey frowned. “Well, yes, I've been getting lessons since I was four. But surely this isn't what you want to talk about?”

Beca quickly shook her head to get her thoughts back in order before answering. “No, no of course not. But we really should play some time together, the sound of a piano with two people playing is just awesome. Anyway, what I really wanted to ask was, have you watched a horror movie in the last two weeks?”

Aubrey's frown deepened at the weird question from the brunette. “A horror movie? Why would I? I never watch those, they don't have a plot. I don't like wasting my time. Since we are on the topic, you kinda are. Wasting my time that is. What do you really want?”

Beca blushed. “Sorry. I was just figuring something out. But what I really want to know is about Chloe. You are her best friend, right? She talks to you about stuff?”

The blonde girl chose her next words carefully. She had a suspicion, that she wouldn't like where this conversation was going.

“Yes, we are best friends. As you already know.” 

Beca sighed. “I'm just really worried about her. Did she seem a little weird to you lately?”

“Well, she found out that she has nodes so she is entitled to be a little down in my opinion.”

“But it's not that. She had known about the nodes for a few days and seemed fine with them. Then all of a sudden she was acting all depressed again and when you called her out on it last weekend, she blurted out the nodes thing. But I know that that wasn't what is bothering her. I just want to help her, she's my friend Aubrey. Do you know what's going on?”

Aubrey sighed deeply and thought about what to do. She knew that Beca was good for Chloe but she didn't want to betray Chloe's trust by talking about her to other people. Even if it was Beca. The brunette was observant and didn't seem like the person to just let things go if she told her to leave it alone though. Going with her gut feelings for once, she decided to help Beca out a bit.

“Beca, please don't tell Chloe that we talked about this. I can't tell you what is going on in her life, but I can tell you that it's something serious. Chloe needs all her friends and she sadly doesn't have enough of those. Get her to open up about things but don't pressure her. Make her laugh and distract her if she seems gloomy. I'm sure she will come to you soon enough. She doesn't really like talking about it and I'm sure she wouldn't have told me for a long time if I hadn't been there for parts of it. Don't give up Beca, you are good for her and you should keep trying.”

Beca thought about that for a moment. Aubrey's words weren't really reassuring. There was something going on and Chloe had definitely been lying about the horror movie. She would keep trying to get Chloe to open up, but at least now, she had a little hope that Chloe would open up eventually.

Just then the first Bellas started walking in and the two girls quickly ended their conversation and Aubrey went back to the white board, while Beca sat down on a chair in front of it. 

Beca sent a quick thanks in Aubrey's direction, which was met with a small but genuine smile from the blonde. 

Five minutes later all the Bellas were assembled and Aubrey started their practice session.

As Beca was running on the stairs she noticed that she had forgotten to ask Aubrey about the riff-off.

Well, maybe Chloe knows about it as well. I'll just ask her at our room tonight.


	12. Chapter 12

That evening Beca asked Chloe about the riff-off. Beca was sitting on her desk chair and Chloe was sitting on her bed with a magazine lying beside her that she had read earlier. The two of them talked about the riff-off for a while then Chloe asked Beca how her day was.

“It was fine. You know, classes were boring this morning but I spent the afternoon with Jesse before going to practice. What about you?”

_Jesse, huh? She's spending a lot of time with him. And she talks about him a lot...._

“Chloe?”

The red headed girl was startled out of her thoughts and looked in Beca's direction with an apologetic look on her face.

“Sorry, just thinking. My day was okay. Nothing interesting happened. Just classes and a therapy session for my throat.”

“Cool, so what do you want to do? We can hang out and listen to music? Please say you don't want to watch a movie. I really don't like them and I already had that discussion today with Jesse.”

Chloe was getting annoyed and got up from her seat to pace the room. “What is it with you and Jesse?” she shot angrily in Beca's direction. “Why are you always talking about him?”

Beca was confused and a little hurt. Why was Chloe attacking her over this?

“Umm, nothing? And he's my friend, I thought I told you that.”

Chloe didn't stop her pacing and was huffing now. “It's always Jesse this and Jesse that when we are talking. And if it's not Jesse, you want to talk to me about things that are none of your business. Why can't you leave it alone?!”

Beca was worried now. Chloe had never blown up at her like this before and she really didn't understand what Chloe's problem with Jesse was. They were friends. And as far as Beca knows, Jesse and Chloe haven't really talked much. So it can't be that Chloe simply didn't like him as a person. And her ginger roommate didn't seem like the person who would judge people after only a few conversations anyway.

The brunette got up from her chair and went to stop Chloe's pacing by taking her upper arms and stopping the girl. She squeezed gently and moved the ginger so they could sit down on Chloe's bed together.

“Chloe calm down. Let's talk about all this. Firstly, you know that I am not a very social person. So I don't really meet new people and I don't really do much in my free time apart from the Bellas and the station. And since you are there for every Bella practice, I can't talk to you about that when we talk about my day because you already know it. So the station and classes are the only topic I can talk about. Classes are pretty much always boring so talking about that is out. That leaves the station and I work there together with Jesse and we are friends and hang out. Why is this a problem for you?”

During Beca's speech Chloe's irrational anger had quickly dropped and she was looking down at her lap in embarrassment when Beca finished talking.

When Chloe remained silent, Beca moved her hand to tilt up Chloe's chin so the other girl had to look her in the eyes.

Beca quickly noticed the beginning of tears in Chloes's eyes. They were awfully shiny. Before she could do some damage control and apologize for making the red head cry, Chloe starting murmuring her own apology.

“I'm sorry Beca. There is just so much going on right now and it's really stressing me out. I'm not mad at you or anything. Jesse seems like a nice guy and if you want to talk about him that's fine. And you are right, you don't really have a social life, do you? You have to get out more!”

Chloe was grinning slightly now. Beca breathed a huge sigh of relief since she had avoided having to deal with a crying Chloe. She always felt so awkward when people around her started showing strong emotions.

Beca sent a small smile back but didn't let Chloe of the hook yet.

“Don't worry it's fine. Everyone gets stressed. But I have to ask, do you really want me to back off with the questions? Because I will if you ask me to. I really want to know what's going on with you so that I can help you. I can see that it's tearing you apart and I don't want that. And don't think I haven't noticed that you literally haven't answered any question I have asked so far. But if you really don't want me to pry any further I will do that. As long as it's not affecting your health.”

Chloe was trying to avoid Beca's eyes again, but the brunette was having none of that and continued to hold Chloe's chin.

Chloe sighed. “Um, can we pretend like I never said anything?” she asked sheepishly.

Beca just rose an eyebrow.

The ginger huffed. “Figured. Well, as you probably already figured out, I don't like talking about it. And I would appreciate it if you could back off for a while on the questions. I don't want that thing standing between us. I don't want it to get weird between us with you analyzing everything I do and trying to figure out what's going on. And I don't want to be careful about what I tell you either. I probably will tell you soon what's going on but I'm not ready yet. Can you just be my friend and not ask so many questions for now?”

Beca had let go of Chloe's chin when the older girl had started talking and was pondering about what Chloe had told her.

_Well, if she wants me to stop for a while then I probably have to. At least she didn't tell me to get lost or something. And she said she would talk to me soon. I guess I just have to be patient and be a good friend just like Aubrey suggested._

Beca shrugged in response to Chloe's question. “I guess I can do that. I don't want to chase you away. I still have plans for you.” she teased with a glint in her eyes.

Chloe, glad that the whole topic would be left alone for now, grinned at Beca's words.

“Really? What for?”

As soon as Chloe had finished her sentence a big fluffy pillow hit her in the face.

It fell down into her lap and the red head was gaping at her roommate who was now already on her own side of the room.

“What's up Beale? Speechless? We need a rematch. I'm clearly superior in pillow fights and I need the world to know that. So get up and prepare.”

Chloe was smiling now. “You are on, Mitchell! You are so going down. Watch me, I'll sweep the floor with you.”

That being said, she grabbed the pillow Beca had thrown at her earlier and prepared for another round of shameless fun with her roommate.

 

Twenty minutes later the two girls were lying on the ground in the middle of their room. They were exhausted but had a lot of fun. They agreed to another tie but also agreed to another rematch in the future. Both of them knew they were acting a little childish but who cares? They were having fun and that was all that mattered.

“So, Chloe I have a question for you.”

Chloe rolled her eyes. “Didn't we agree that there will be no questions for now?”

Beca slapped her lightly on the arm. “Hey, don't steal my eye roll. Sarcasm is my thing. And for your information, it's not a question about that. I just wanted to know if you could come with me to my grandmother's house this weekend. It's only four days away and we have the riff-off on Thursday. I just thought I would ask before everything got crazy with the Bellas. I am actually wondering why Aubrey seems so calm about this. She was really mad about that last performance.”

Chloe turned from her back to her side but groaned at the hard ground digging into her back. She quickly got up and pulled Beca up with her. She lay down on her own bed and got Beca to lie down next to her.

“Much better.“ She sighed. “The floor wasn't really that comfortable. And before you accuse me of deflecting your questions again, just wait a second. I would love going with you this weekend. Your grandma sounds like a really nice person and I want to meet her. What do I need to pack? How long will we be gone? It's her birthday, right? I totally need to get her a present. What does she like? What have you gotten her?”

Before Chloe could ask any more questions, Beca put her hand on Chloe's lips to shut her up, all the while laughing at her roommate.

“Stop Chloe,” she chuckled. “If you won't let me answer any of your questions before you ask new ones, we'll never get anywhere. So first off, pack what you want. It's a birthday party at her house, nothing fancy. You could wear a trash bag and you would still look better than nearly every other guest. Well, most of them are over sixty already apart from a few members of my family so that's not difficult.”

It was Chloe's turn to slap Beca's arm. “Hey! Can't you give me a compliment without you destroying your hard work of thinking of one in 5 seconds? Just tell me I look awesome in anything and leave it at that. Simple.”

Beca blushed but ignored Chloe's comment. If she hadn't promised Chloe to back off of the questioning and if she didn't think she needed to wait to hear Chloe's story before pursuing anything with her roommate, she may have made her move right then and there. But since she promised to wait and be a friend she decided to be just that and let that comment be. That didn't mean no flirting, because that just came naturally to her when she was in the red heads presence. That was a little strange since she was normally pretty awkward in that kind of situation but she decided to just enjoy it.

“Thanks for interrupting. Anyway, really just bring anything you like. I thought about leaving Friday afternoon after classes and coming back Sunday afternoon. The birthday party will start at noon on Saturday and since I don't want to get up early to drive there I thought we could just start Friday if that's okay with you.”

Chloe hummed. “Yeah that sounds alright. How are we getting there?”

Beca was startled for a second and then slapped her hand on her forehead.

“Damn it, I knew I forgot something. I don't have a car here. You don't happen to own one, do you?”

Chloe giggled. “No, sorry. We can go by train? Where is your grandma living anyway?”

“Near Columbus. The drive is about two hours from here. Well I don't want to go by train, I guess I'll have to ask my father to let me borrow his car.”

“You never really talk about your father. And I think the only time I saw you with him was when he found you at the activity's fair. Are you fighting?” Chloe asked curiously.

“Um, no we are not fighting. We just don't really get along well. But I think he'll let me borrow his car. I guess I have to go and ask him some time this week.” Beca answered reluctantly.

“What happened with him, if you don't mind me asking?”

“I don't mind Chloe, but can we maybe save that story for this weekend? I don't want to remember all of that right now when we still have so much to do this week.”

Chloe frowned. So it's not a simple fight. I wonder what happened between them, but I can't force her to tell me now, especially when I just asked her to stop asking me personal questions. I just have to be patient I guess.

“Sure. We can talk about it on the drive to your grandmother?”

Beca nodded and smiled at Chloe, happy that the other girl stopped questioning her about her father. It was bad enough that she had to see him some time this week.

“We can do that. Now to your other questions, yes it's her birthday but you don't need to get her anything. She likes having people around and she is excited to meet you. That will be enough for her, she doesn't really need anything. And she always complains when I give her something for her birthday, but I do it anyway because I know she secretly loves my presents. She loves pictures. It's all the memories that are being represented, I think. A few years ago I went into the attic of our house and I found a box full of old photos of her and my granddad and a ton of people I don't know. Most of the pictures were fine but some of them were in a bad shape. I had them restored as best as I could and I always give her a photo album with some of the old pictures mixed together with newer ones with me and my aunts and uncles and cousins. I've been mixing her songs these last years too. So she can listen to something fitting while looking at the photos.”

Chloe looked at Beca with an adoring look in her eyes. “You are so sweet Beca. You really love your grandma, don't you?”

Beca was looking embarrassed now. “I'm badass, remember that Beale. Not sweet. But yes, I really love her. She helped me out a lot when I was younger.”

“I guess that's part of the story with your father?”

“Yep, so you'll have to wait.” Beca grinned at Chloe.

The red head chuckled. “Okay okay, I get it. So your grandma is getting another album and a song?”

Beca blushed. “Yeah. This one will be the last one though. At least with the old pictures. I guess next year I'll have to find more or make new ones. And the song this time actually isn't a mix but an original.”

Chloe's eyes brightened. “You write songs too? Why are you so perfect? Can I listen to it? Please!”

Beca chuckled. “Nope, that song is for my grandmother. If you want to listen to it you'll have to ask her if you can listen to it this weekend. It's her choice.“

Chloe huffed playfully. “Fine, you meany. I'll just ask her this weekend. But do you have any other original songs? I really want to listen to one.”

Beca thought for a moment but then shook her head.

“I'm sorry Chloe, all my original works are dedicated to someone, or just for me. But if you play your cards right, maybe I'll write you a song too.” she winked at Chloe who groaned loudly.

“Fiiiiiiiineeee! Be that way. But hurry up with my song, I'm curious. So I really don't have to get your grandmother a present? It seems kind of rude to show up with empty hands.”

Beca was about to deny the question, when she thought of something.

“Actually, I have an idea. I guess you'll actually get to hear her song before she does.” She moved up from Chloe's bed and moved over to her computer. She opened some programs and clicked around a few times.

“I always thought this song lacked something but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Now I think that maybe this song will work better as a duet. I know that your throat is still hurting, but maybe you'll want to add a little harmony to the song? Just the basic, no crazy singing techniques or something.”

Chloe was smiling brightly now and nodding her head.

“I would love to! And don't worry about my throat, it's feeling better already with the therapy and I'm singing at practice too. I just can't over do it.”

“Great. I really appreciate this. So let's listen to it and then try some harmonies out.”

The rest of the night was spent trying different things out and generally having a great time with music and each other.

 

The riff-off was that Thursday night.

It was an interesting experience for Beca because for the first time since she joined the Bellas she really had fun with a capella. She now understood the appeal and wanted to continue with this. But she really needed Aubrey to change her mind on the play list. It was awful and they could be so much better with the right songs.

She had tried arguing with Aubrey after the riff-off but the older girl just brushed her words off.

Chloe and Beca went home that night and packed their stuff for the weekend. They had classes in the morning and wanted to be ready to go as soon as possible.

Chloe said she had to go home for an hour or two before going away for the weekend, so they decided to start the drive at around 4 pm. Beca went and got the car from her father, who had agreed without any arguing, after her classes ended and then wait for Chloe to come back. She had put all their bags in the trunk and was now sitting in the car in front of the dorm and put her flash drive of mixes in the radio. She listened to them until Chloe showed up 10 minutes later. Both girls buckled up and Beca started the car. This would be an interesting weekend for sure.


	13. Chapter 13

As soon as Chloe got into the car and Beca started driving the older girl was fiddling with the radio.

“Seriously Beca, how many mixes do you have? I don't think we'll have enough time during the drive to listen to all of them. Even if we continue on the drive back.”

Beca shrugged. “Well, I love mixing and spent nearly all of my free time on my computer. I've been doing that for a few years now, so there are actually quite a few mixes. My guess is around 400. But I only have about a hundred on that USB stick.”

Chloe's jaw dropped. “400?! How many have you shown me so far? 20? I need to listen to all of them!”

Beca chuckled. “The first ones are rubbish. I hadn't had the hang of the program and didn't really know what I was doing. I think I made about a hundred different ones before I deemed some acceptable. But if you want to make your ears bleed by listening to all of them, feel free.”

“Yes, I will feel free, don't worry. I'm sure they are great since it was you who made them. I'm looking forward to a USB stick full of 400 mixes when we're back from your grandmother's place. Don't think you'll get out of this.”

Beca laughed and smiled at Chloe. “Sure. But can you maybe decide on a song for now? Your constant changing of the song is quite distracting.” Beca didn't add that the distracting part wasn't the changing music but Chloe's hair and face that were shoved in front of the radio so the red head could read the titles better. Beca couldn't help but watch the girl from the corner of her eyes. Chloe was smiling brightly and looked breathtaking in the afternoon sun. The brunette had a hard time watching the road with the distracting red head next to her.

Chloe finally decided on a song and leaned back in her seat so Beca couldn't see her anymore if she didn't turn around to face the ginger.

They were quiet for about five minutes and enjoyed the afternoon sun and comfortable silence between them.

“So Beca, I don't want to pressure you, but you said you would tell me about your father on this trip...”

Beca took a deep breath and led it out slowly. 

“I guess I told you I would tell you, huh? Well then, here goes nothing. And if I don't tell you now, I'm pretty sure you would find out the whole story during the birthday party tomorrow anyway. My family isn't particularly quiet in their displeasure of my father's actions.”

Chloe turned down the music a little and turned her bright blue eyes on Beca, waiting for the story to begin.

“I told you that I lived my high school years with my grandma, right?”

Chloe hummed affirmatively.

“Well, to explain why, I have to start a little earlier in my live. I had just turned twelve when my mother died in a car accident. I had a happy childhood until that day and didn't notice anything going on between my parents. Now I know that their marriage wasn't as smooth as I had thought at the time. Apparently they fought a lot and they were talking about my father moving out of the house. I didn't know about any of that then. I just knew that one evening when I was already in bed, my dad came rushing into my room and told me to get dressed quickly. I did and quickly followed him to our car. I asked him what was going on, but he was crying and only told me that mom was in the hospital and we had to get there fast. I tried to get more information out of him but he didn't say anything else. I don't know if he didn't know anything else or if he was in shock or something. We arrived at the hospital ten minutes later.”

Silent tears were now falling down both girls cheeks. Chloe took Beca's right hand in hers shortly and gave her a comforting squeeze when Beca had to pause to gather her thoughts. 

Beca gave Chloe a thankful smile and continued talking.

“When we arrived at the hospital, we were quickly sent to the ICU where the doctor's said, mom would go after her surgery. Apparently a drunk driver had hit her straight in the driver's side of the car and instantly crushed it against a wall. The ambulance arrived quickly but the man was already dead. They managed to get my mom out of the wreck and sent her straight to surgery. I don't really remember because it was all a blur at the time, but a lot of bones in her body were broken and she had a whole lot of damage to her internal organs. Long story short, we waited for about three hours until one of the operating doctor's came to us and told us that she didn't make it. I don't think I had ever been more devastated than that night in the hospital. I don't think I stopped crying for the next three days.”

Beca was crying harder now. The death of her mom was still affecting her greatly, even seven years later. She had to stop the car at the side of the road because she couldn't see the street anymore. Driving safely had always been an important thing to her.

When Beca stopped the car and put her hands in front of her eyes, she could feel Chloe's arms coming around her in a comforting hug. The red head murmured calming things into Beca's ear and was slowly stroking the brunette's hair. 

Beca calmed down after a few minutes but enjoyed her roommates hug for a little longer. She thought that Chloe didn't mind since she made no move to get out of the hug. 

A short while later, Beca finally let go of Chloe and moved back a little so she could look the ginger in the eyes. She accepted the tissue Chloe was handing her with a grateful smile and wiped the tears from her cheeks and blew her nose a few times.

When she was more or less presentable again she took a deep breath and looked at a worried looking Chloe. 

“I'm sorry. I didn't think it would affect me this much. But I haven't told anyone the whole story, so I guess I haven't quite gotten over it yet.”

Chloe took both of Beca's hands in hers and looked Beca straight in the eyes.

“You don't have to be sorry for this, Becs. It's normal, don't worry about that. Losing your mother at such a young age must have been very painful. You are allowed to mourn her and shed a few tears when you think about her. You obviously loved her very much. I can't imagine what I'll do when I lose my mother.”

Beca was too preoccupied with calming herself down so she won't start crying again to notice Chloe's particular use of words. When and not if. 

“Thanks Chloe. It's just, when I was younger it was hard for me to mourn my mother because I had so much else going on. So when I have the time to really think about it like right now, the emotions just come to the surface all at once. Thanks for listening. And the tissue.”

Beca sent her a small grin and Chloe breathed a deep sigh of relief. She found out today that she didn't like it when the short brunette was crying. She hoped a hug and a few nice words had been enough to comfort her roommate.

“Really, it's no problem Beca. And you don't have to continue talking if it's too hard for you. We can continue another time. I can wait.”

Beca shook her head. “No, I have to get it all out now, or you'll hear it from other people. I don't want that. So I'll continue. Just give me a few minutes to calm down and rearrange my thoughts.”

Chloe nodded and Beca started the car again. 

A few minutes later Beca was calm enough to continue her story. 

“Well, you can imagine things weren't easy for me after that. Dad didn't deal well with my mother's death. He just got up in the morning, went to work and came back late at night. I spent most of my time outside of school alone. I didn't want to talk to people and shoved my friends away. They tried to get through to me for a few weeks, but when I didn't let them in, they said they'd stop bothering me and that I should tell them when I was ready to talk. It was what I wanted at that time, but in the end I wished I had opened up to someone. I bottled my feelings inside me and distracted myself with house work. My dad didn't do anything around the house anymore so I had to wash my clothes if I wanted fresh ones, I had to cook myself something if I wanted to eat and I had to take the trash outside if I wanted the garbage collection cars to pick it up. That are just some examples of the things I had to do and I would do them again, it wasn't a problem at the time but due to that, I had to be independent very early in my life. I know that a lot of twelve year olds are quite independent, but I had to take care of most of the adult things, like paying bills and going out grocery shopping. My dad gave me the money for that if I asked him but he wasn't capable of dealing with it himself. He would open letters and just put them in a pile in his office. I had to go through that thing once a week to see if anything new was added that needed my attention.”

Beca took a sip out of her water bottle she had brought with her for the drive. She was feeling thirsty from all the talking. 

“Anyway, I wasn't mad at my father at first. I thought he was grieving and would put himself together in a few weeks. When it had been three months since the accident, I confronted him and asked him if he planned on fulfilling his duties as a father again. He said he would, but still needed a few more weeks to put himself together again. He said that he was very proud of how I was handling everything and that I could talk to him about mom if I wanted to. I learned very quickly that talking to my dad about her wasn't such a good idea. I tried it twice but he always got this far away look in his eyes and when I finished talking he told me it would get better and that he loved me and stuff like that. He didn't really listen to anything I said, so I stopped.”

“After about six months I stopped pushing people away because I was lonely. I couldn't talk to my father and I wouldn't really talk to my grandmother. She would call regularly and ask if everything was okay and I always told her it was. I never told her that dad wasn't taking care of me like he should. Or that I had to take care of him. If I didn't remind him to eat he just wouldn't. I think he was deeply depressed but I didn't really know how to handle it so I just did what had to be done and hoped that he would some day be the father he was before. So I buried my own emotions about mom's death deeply and started hanging out with my friends again. When I was fourteen and in my first year at high school a girl moved in next to our house. She was the same age as me and we went to the same school. We quickly became friends. I started telling her some things and she noticed that I was doing a lot of the work at home. She asked why, so I just told her dad was busy with work at the moment and that I was helping him out for a short while. It had been two years since my mom died and I had lost hope that dad would change back to how things were. Being busy was normal for me by then.”

“During that time I found out that I liked girls. I was never really interested in boys like my friends were. I developed a crush on my neighbor. We were in my room one evening just hanging out when she told me that she had kissed a girl a few months ago during a truth or dare game with her old friends and she liked it. I asked her how it felt kissing a girl. I didn't remember being so obvious at the time but she must have noticed that I liked her because she just smiled at me and told me 'How about I show you?'. She then leaned in and kissed me. It was my first kiss and it felt strange at first but I quickly started enjoying it. Just then my dad came into my room without knocking. He looked very surprised and a little angry but I didn't think anything of it because he asked my friend to go home because he had some things to discuss with me. I was wondering what he could possibly want because the most conversations we had for those two years consisted of talks about dinner and the usual 'How was school /work'-routine. My friend quickly left my room, a little embarrassed about being caught by my dad and sent a quick good bye in my direction before the door was closed. Then all hell broke loose.”

Chloe had been silent for a while now but felt the need to reassure Beca that she was still listening when the brunette paused her story for a moment to take another quick sip of her water bottle.

“I'm still listening, Becs. What happened next?”

“I'll spare you all the details but I can tell you it was bad. My dad started screaming and insulting me. That I was his daughter and his daughter was not to be gay and stuff like that. I didn't know what to say to that. It was the most he had talked to me in two years and the first thing he did was scream at me. I felt like I lost another parent that night. He shouted at me to get out of the house. I was crying by then and pleaded with my father to think about that again but he was so enraged he didn't listen to me. The only thing I did before running out of that house was grab my phone and a jacket. I ran to a nearby park and sat on the swings the whole night, crying and asking myself what I had done wrong and what was wrong with me for liking girls. When the sun came up I knew that I couldn't stay in the park any longer. I couldn't call my dad, so I called the only one who I thought would help me regardless of the situation.”

“Your grandmother.” Chloe whispered, more to herself than to Beca but Beca still heard her.

“Yes, my grandmother. She drove all the way to come and pick me up. She came to the park and sat next to me on one of the swings. It only took one look into her eyes and a hug from her for me to break down. I told her everything that had happened the last few years and she stayed and listened to all of it. When I was finished, she hugged me tighter and told me she loved me for who I am and not who I loved. She said that nothing was wrong with me and that I always had a home to come back to with her regardless of what I had done. She was a little sad that I didn't tell her about my dad sooner but she understood when I told her that I wanted to protect my father. Not necessarily from her but in general. She took me home with her then and I never sat foot in that house again.”

Beca let out a long breath.

“What did your father do then? I can't imagine that he wasn't worried about you as soon as he kicked you out.”

“You have to understand that I was deeply hurt by his words. He tried calling me two days later and wanted to apologize but I didn't take the call. He filled my voice mail and I deleted every last one of them. I had my grandmother drive to our house to pick up my things. My grandma was angry at him as well so she didn't tell him anything about me other than that I was living with her now and that I was safe. He wasn't invited to any family gathering after that and my grandma never made me reconcile with him. Don't get me wrong, she would have supported any decision I would have made. Even if I wanted to move back in with my father. But I was deeply hurt and disappointed with him. If it had just been the kiss thing I would have forgiven him earlier. I mean, it must have been a shock to find out like that that your daughter is probably gay, but he didn't really handle it well. What I couldn't forgive him for for a long time was the way he acted after my mom died. I didn't get the opportunity to grieve my mother's death properly because I had no time to do it and no shoulder to cry on. I wanted my dad to hold me and tell me everything would be okay. That we would see mom again someday and that she still loved me. But he never did that.”

Chloe had taken Beca's right hand in hers again and was squeezing it tightly.

“I'm so sorry you had to go through that. He should have been there for you and not the other way round. I'm glad your grandmother took you in in the end.”

Beca squeezed Chloe's hand back and shot her a grateful smile.

“Thanks Chlo. I'm glad my grandma took me in as well. I really don't know what I would have done if it hadn't been for her. My dad continued calling but it got rarer and rarer as time went on. He must have gotten better because he married a few years later when I was seventeen. He invited me to the wedding but I didn't go. I didn't know what to tell him and I didn't want to ruin his wedding day by attending. I'm sure I would have made a sarcastic comment or something and then we would have argued and I didn't want that. When I was finishing high school he called my grandma and she talked to him. He told her that he would get me a free education at his college and that he wanted me to attend. I didn't want to, at first. I didn't want to deal with him and I already had plans for moving to LA after graduation. But since I hadn't had much money and my grandma couldn't really support me financially I finally ended up taking him up on his offer because he promised me, that I only had to take one year of college classes and if I didn't like it he would help me move to LA. So that's how I ended up at Barden.”

“That's quite a story. I know I already said this but I am really sorry you had to go through this. Do you think you will ever forgive him?”

Beca thought about that for a moment.

“I don't know if I'll ever forgive him fully but I think I am ready to build a new relationship with him. I don't think we can re-build our relationship from years ago, we will never be at that point again, but I think I can talk to him again. I know he is sorry. I'm trying to move on from that.”

“I think that's a good idea. I hate what he did to you but parents are important figures in anybodies lives. You only have him left and I think you would regret it in the future if you didn't at least make an effort to mend your relationship. I'm glad you're trying. And I am glad you told me all of this. It really means a lot to me, that you trust me enough to open up like this. I think your grandma is getting an extra big hug when I meet her.”

Chloe's eyes were twinkling now.

Beca wiped the last remnants of tears from her face and chuckled at her friend.

“You do that. She will enjoy that I am sure.”

“I will. My hugs are the best, right?”

Beca was laughing now. “Do you need your ego stroked or something?”

Chloe pouted. “Just agree with me. Don't question me.”

“Okay, okay. Yes, your hugs are the best. Happy?”

The red head smiled brightly at Beca. “Yep. So, are we there yet?”

Beca groaned. “Don't tell me you are one of those people.”

Chloe looked out of the window innocently. “I don't know what you are talking about.”

“Yes, I'm sure you don't.”

Chloe continued looking out of the window and enjoyed one of Beca's mixes that was currently playing. But she couldn't quite help adding something a few minutes later.

“Seriously, are we there yet?”

Beca chuckled but ignored her red headed roommate. She refused to answer that question from anyone. They would get there when they got there. Chloe knew their rough destination and Beca told her that the drive would take them about two hours. Let the red head figure it out herself. 

The rest of the drive was spent in comfortable silence with both girls listening to music and another few inquiries from Chloe about their arrival time which Beca simply ignored.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: The song I used in this chapter is called “Through The Years” by Kenny Rogers. I tried writing something on my own, but it was all rubbish, so I chose that song above for the lyrics. They seemed kinda fitting ;)

**Chapter 14**

They arrived at Beca’s grandma’s house twenty minutes later and Chloe started to get nervous as they pulled into the driveway.

“Relax, Chlo. It’s just my grandma.” Beca tried to calm the red head down.

“But what if she doesn’t like me? She is such an important person in your life, I don’t want her to hate me.”

Beca snorted and then reached over the console to take Chloe’s hand.

“Chloe, seriously. She’s going to love you. She already likes you, that’s why she invited you. And my grandma is the most open person I know. She won’t judge you on anything, it will be fine.”

Chloe took a deep breath and tried to relax.

“Okay, I can do this. There’s no need to worry. She’ll like me.” Chloe told herself while taking deep breaths.

Beca chuckled at her roommate and got out of the car to get their bags from the trunk. When she had gotten everything out of the trunk, she stopped next to Chloe’s window and tapped lightly on it. Chloe jumped.

Beca smirked at her. “You ready?”

Chloe opened the door with a pout on her face. “That was mean. I’m really nervous about this.”

“You really don’t have to be. You’ll see. Let’s go?”

“Yeah, let’s do this.” Chloe started to grab her own bags but Beca would have none of it.

“I've got this.”

Chloe smiled at her brunette roommate and they went to the door together.

Chloe took the opportunity to look at the house where Beca spent her high school years. It looked like a pretty standard two story house. A small garden in the front and a porch with a nice bench nestled in the corner. The house was painted a standard white and looked well cared for. Beca had parked her father's car in front of a garage. Next to the garage stood a small shed. Chloe figured Beca's grandma kept her gardening tools and lawn mower inside.

Chloe was startled out of her thoughts when the door in front of her opened. The older girl turned her head around to say hello, but was interrupted by a loud squeal.

Looking around for the source of the girly squeal she saw Beca in the arms of an older woman who could only be the younger girls grandma.

Watching them with wide eyes, Chloe couldn't help but comment on her roommates behavior.

“Did you just squeal, Becs?”

The younger girl blushed brightly as she freed herself from her grandma's arms who was laughing openly at Beca.

“What are you talking about Beale? I don't squeal, I'm badass, remember?”

Chloe snorted. “Sure, if you say so.”

She turned around to look at Beca's grandma. “Sorry for being impolite. My name is Chloe Beale and I'm your granddaughters roommate. She has told me a lot about you, so it's nice to meet you.” Not knowing how the older woman would react to her usual hugs, she held her hand out for a hand shake.

Beca's grandmother ignored Chloe's outstretched hand and pulled the girl into her arms for a big hug.

“Don't worry Chloe, it's nice to meet you too. I'm Alice, but you can call me grandma if you want to.”

Chloe happily nodded as the older woman let her out of the hug.

“Sure, I'd be happy to. You have a lovely home.”

“Yes, yes it's awesome, can we go in now? These bags are getting heavy.” Beca interrupted and made her way into her high school home.

Chloe and Alice chuckled.

“You could have just put them down, Becs!” Chloe shouted after her with a grin on her face.

Beca ignored her and carried their bags up the stairs.

“Come on in Chloe. Do you want a coffee? I've just made one.” Beca's grandmother asked the red head as she ushered the young girl into her kitchen.

“Sure, I'd like that.”

Chloe sat down at the kitchen table and watched as Alice poured steaming coffee into three mugs and brought them over to the table. She sat herself down in a chair in front of Chloe and leveled a hard stare at her granddaughter's roommate.

“So, do I have to have a talk with you? Don't think I haven't noticed.”

Chloe was surprised by the sudden change in behavior and looked at the older woman with a confused look on her face.

“Umm, what?”

“Beca's been crying. I can tell, because that girl refuses to invest in water proof mascara. Believe me, I tried to change her mind, but she thinks it's unnecessary.”

“Oh! No! It wasn't me, I swear! We talked about her dad on the drive and we both got a little emotional. I wouldn't make her cry on purpose.” Chloe hurried to explain as she finally understood why the older woman was watching her sharply.

“I was just making sure. I would have hated to change my mind about you.” Alice grinned at Chloe and finally shoved a cup of coffee in the younger girls direction.

Chloe let out a deep breath in relief and nipped at her coffee.

Before anyone could say anything else, Beca came into the kitchen with a loud shout of “What's up, nerds?!”

Chloe looked at Alice bewildered. “What's up with her?”

Alice grinned. “Don't worry, she did that a lot when she was still in high school. I think it's cute.”

“I'm not cute. And now give me that coffee.” Beca said as she plopped herself down in a seat next to Chloe. “So, what did I miss? Did you already scare her away grandma? She's already looking a little pale.”

“I did no such thing, right Chloe?”

Chloe only nodded.

“Really?” Beca arched an eyebrow in her grandmother's direction and then turned her eyes to look at Chloe. “Are you sure? She can be a little ... direct.”

The red head smiled at Beca's concern over her. “It's fine, really. Your grandmother only made me coffee.”

Not quite believing that but putting it behind her for now, Beca grabbed her own cup of coffee and drank half the cup in one gulp.

Alice eyed her grandmother in concern. “So, was the drive alright? Any problems.”

Beca swallowed the last bit of coffee and shook her head.

“No, everything's alright. But enough about us, what about you? Do you have everything ready for  
the party? Do you need our help with something before the others come tomorrow?”

“Well, since you're offering, I still need some grocery's for tomorrow. Can you two drive to the store in the morning and get it? You can show Chloe the town if you want. I think the family will start arriving at around noon. So you'll have a few hours to yourselves.”

Beca turned around to find Chloe nodding her consent.

“Sure. Um, grandma, when I brought our bags upstairs I noticed that none of the guest rooms are ready. Aren't some of the others staying until Sunday?”

“Yes, I hadn't had the time, but I'll get to it in the morning. But don't worry, your room is ready. I thought since you two are roommates, you wouldn't mind sharing for tonight.” Alice replied with a glint in her eyes.

Beca shot her a warning glare and turned around to look at Chloe. “Is that alright with you? Otherwise, I'm sure we can find some clean linens and quickly prepare a guest bed room.”

Chloe hesitated a moment. Normally she wouldn't have a problem with sharing a room and bed with Beca, but she knew that her nightmares were always worse when she wasn't at home. She didn't know if she could hide them from Beca when the girl was laying right next to her. But she didn't want to inconvenience Alice either.

“That's fine with me. Can you maybe show me the room Beca? I don't want to be rude but I really need a shower.”

Beca nodded and stood up. She took the three coffee mugs and quickly put them in the dish washer.

“I'll prepare some dinner then. Are you girls okay with lasagna?”

“Sure, grandma. I'll help you in a minute.” Beca said and ushered Chloe up the stairs to show her her old bedroom and the bathroom.

The walls in Beca's old bedroom were painted a pale green. A few photos of Beca and her grandma were pinned to a pin board. Otherwise the room was pretty bare except for a queen sized bed at the back wall, a small dresser and a small desk squeezed in the corner.

“Haven't you just been living in this room a few weeks ago? Where has all your stuff gone?” Chloe asked as she took in Beca's room.

Beca shrugged and went to a door on the right side of the room. “I took the important things with me to my dorm. I threw the rest away, because I don't see the point in keeping stuff I know I won't need again.”

“Huh.” Chloe mumbled. “You should see my room at home. I have so much stuff, I don't even need to pack a bag when I go home for a few days. There are so many memories there. I don't think I could throw it all away.”

Beca send a sad smile in the older girls direction. “My most important memories are up here.” She tapped her temple gently. “I don't really need stuff to remember those moments. And I don't have my childhood toys and all that stuff anyway. When my father kicked me out, my grandmother only got the essentials. I'm sure dad didn't throw them away but I don't want to open old wounds. For me and for him.”

Not wanting to make Beca sad again Chloe quickly changed the topic. “So, the bathroom?”

Beca opened the door she had been standing next to for the past five minutes with a grin. “Right here. Take your time, I'll just go downstairs and help my gran with the lasagna. Just shout if you need something.”

Chloe nodded and thanked her with a smile. Convinced that Chloe had everything she needed, Beca made her way downstairs again to find her grandma chopping some carrots.

When Alice saw Beca in the doorway, she put the knife down, wiped her hands on a towel and went over to her granddaughter to envelop her in a big hug.

Beca happily enjoyed her grandma's hug.

“Not that I haven't missed you too, but is everything alright?”

Alice let go of her granddaughter and smiled at her. “Yes, little one, everything is great now that you are here. And I thought you needed that hug after your drive over here.”

“So Chloe told you?”

“She did. I'm really proud of you for opening up to someone finally. I was getting worried that you would continue to bury your feelings from everyone except me. I'm glad that you found Chloe. She seems like a really nice girl. Pretty, too.”

Beca blushed and went over to the table to continue chopping the carrots her grandma had started on earlier.

“Shut up. But I'm glad I found her too. She is a good friend, I feel comfortable around her. I feel relieved that I got all of that off my mind for once. And she just listened and comforted me. She didn't judge me or pressure me into doing anything I didn't want to. Chloe listened and held me as I cried.”

“Don't let that one get away Beca. People like her are rare. You should appreciate and treasure her. Your grandfather was the same in that regard. I know that you don't really remember him since you were only three when he died, but he was such a good man. He helped where he could and never judged anyone. I was happy to have known and loved him for all those years. We had our problems like every couple but it never distracted us from the fact that we loved each other. I hope you can find someone like that in your life too.”

“You rarely talk about him, you know. Why is that?”

Alice let out a long breath and continued stirring the sauce in the pan on the oven.

“I was devastated when your grandfather died. I loved him deeply and I will never stop. It just hurts when I talk about him too much. I'm grateful for all the memories we have together and I always enjoy remembering the good times, but I have to be careful that it doesn't get too much. Because with every fond memory comes the realization that he is gone forever. So I don't talk about him as often as I'd like to to avoid that pain.”

“I'm sorry, I didn't realize that this was a sore subject. I won't ask again.”

Alice smiled. “Nonsense. You can ask me anything, you know that. And you remind me of Arthur so much, I'm always happier when I'm around you. I love you, don't forget that.”

“I won't. I love you too.”

“Umm, am I interrupting something?”

Beca and Alice both turned around to see Chloe standing in the doorway of the kitchen and watching them hesitantly. She was wearing sweat pants and a simple shirt. Her hair was still wet but the ginger had put it in a bun at the top of her head. She wasn't wearing make up and looked a little tired. This natural look was Beca's favorite. She loved seeing Chloe like this.

“Nonsense, come in. Sit down and relax. I'll just need to put everything in the oven and then we should be able to eat in thirty minutes.” Alice said as she rustled around in a cupboard.

“Yes, come on in Chlo. Don't behave like a stranger. Make yourself at home, okay? How was the shower? Did you find everything?”

Chloe nodded as she sat down next to Beca. “Yes, thank you. I didn't know what I should put on. Are we going out tonight or are we staying in? I can just put my clothes back on later if we're going out again.”

Beca shook her head. “No, I thought we could stay in tonight. I'm pretty tired and I'm sure you are too. I thought we could chat for a while and maybe give my gran her birthday gift a day early.”

Before Chloe could agree, Alice interrupted them. “You know, you don't have to get me anything, little one. I'm happy that you are here, that's enough for me.”

“I know, but I'm giving you something anyway. And I know that you love my presents, so don't pretend otherwise.”

Alice grinned at her granddaughter as she sat down next to the girls at the kitchen table.

“That's true. I love your presents. Since I can't convince you otherwise, what do you have for me? I'm curious now.”

Beca laughed as she stood up and hurriedly got the presents for her grandma and a guitar from upstairs.

“This time your presents are extra special because Chloe helped me with them.”

Beca gave her grandmother the wrapped photo album and a CD with the song Beca wrote for Alice.

“I thought since Chloe is here, we could maybe give you a live acoustic version of the song? Only if you want though and if Chloe is alright with it?”

Chloe quickly nodded with a smile on her face and Alice had tears in her eyes.

“You know I love your music little one. You wrote me another song? I'm sure it will be just as perfect as the ones before. And another photo album. Thank you Beca, it really means a lot. And of course, I want to hear a live version. I have always loved your voice.”

Beca smiled and quickly sat down next to Chloe. They looked at each other briefly to see if both of them were ready.

Beca started strumming some chords and softly started singing.

_I can't remember when you weren't there_   
_When I didn't care for anyone but you_   
_I swear we've been through everything there is_   
_Can't imagine anything we've missed_   
_Can't imagine anything the two of us can't do_

For the next verse Chloe and Beca sang together, harmonizing beautifully.

_Through the years_   
_You've never let me down_   
_You turned my life around_   
_The sweetest days I've found_   
_I've found with you_   
_Through the years_   
_I've never been afraid_   
_I've loved the life we've made_   
_And I'm so glad I've stayed_   
_Right here with you_   
_Through the years_

The next part Beca sang alone again. Alice had tears running down her face as she looked at her granddaughter with nothing but love in her eyes.

_I can't remember what I used to do_   
_Who I trusted whom, I listened to before_   
_I swear you've taught me everything I know_   
_Can't imagine needing someone so_   
_But through the years it seems to me_   
_I need you more and more_

The rest of the song was again sung by both Beca and Chloe.

_Through the years_   
_Through all the good and bad_   
_I knew how much we had_   
_I've always been so glad_   
_To be with you_   
_Through the years_   
_It's better everyday_   
_You've kissed my tears away_   
_As long as it's okay_   
_I'll stay with you_   
_Through the years_

_Through the years_   
_When everything went wrong_   
_Together we were strong_   
_I know that I belonged_   
_Right here with you_   
_Through the years_   
_I never had a doubt_   
_We'd always work things out_   
_I've learned what love's about_   
_By loving you_   
_Through the years_

_Through the years_   
_You've never let me down_   
_You've turned my life around_   
_The sweetest days I've found_   
_I've found with you_   
_Through the years_   
_It's better everyday_   
_You've kissed my tears away_   
_As long as it's okay_   
_I'll stay with you_   
_Through the years_

As soon as the song ended, Alice was out of her seat and enveloped both girls in a crushing hug.

“That was so beautiful. I loved it. Thank you so much for this.”

Beca and Chloe were also blinking away some stray tears but smiled at each other.

They were interrupted by the loud beeping of the timer. Apparently the lasagna was ready.

Alice chuckled as she let both girls out of the hug and wiped her eyes with a tissue from her pocket. “It seems like dinner is ready. I'll get it out of the oven and then we can eat.”

“Sure, grandma. I'll grab some plates.” Beca said and rose from her seat to get the plates and the silverware.

They all sat down together again two minutes later and helped themselves to a healthy amount of lasagna. They all enjoyed the easy talking between them and even Chloe felt like part of the family. They had fun and talked about college, a capella and a little about Beca's younger years, much to the younger girls chagrin.

Alice told the girls that she would be heading to bed soon and she wanted to look at the photo album before going to sleep. Beca and Chloe quickly offered to take care of the dishes so the older woman could rest a little. Alice tried to protest but the girls just told her that it was fine and that she should go to bed early. Tomorrow would be stressful enough.

After quickly taking care of the dishes the girls went up to their room and quickly changed into sleep clothes. They brushed their teeth and quickly got under the covers.

“Are you sure this is okay with you Chloe? You don't have to share a bed with me.”

Chloe grinned in the dark and turned around so she was looking in Beca's direction. She couldn't see much since it was pretty dark in the room but she could make out the shape of the other girl in the bed next to her. She was a little worried about her nightmares, but she had noticed that they weren't coming so often anymore since she had moved into the dorm with Beca. She hoped she would get through this night uninterrupted.

“It's fine. Don't worry, I would have said something if it wasn't. Plus, I feel really comfortable around you and your grandma and we've been sharing a room for a few weeks now. You've grown on me, Becs.”

Beca chuckled. “Okay, just wanted to make sure. So, how overwhelming has this experience been for you so far? Have we scared you off yet?”

“No, I really like your grandma. She has such a warm personality, I feel like she would beat every monster away with a stick if it came to close to someone she loved. I already love her.”

Beca smiled. She was thrilled that her roommate seemed to get along well with her grandma.

“Well, she likes you too, so don't worry. And I wanted to say thank you again for singing that song with me. It really meant a lot to me and I'm sure to my grandma as well. I'm glad you decided to come with me this weekend.”

Chloe searched for Beca's hand under the covers to give it a little squeeze.

“It was my pleasure. Now I really have to hunt your grandma down tomorrow so she can show me her other birthday songs. If they are anything like this one then she has a gold mine of awesome songs lying around. I want to listen to them. I'm sure they would hit number one instantly in the billboard charts.”

Squeezing back, Beca rolled her eyes at Chloe. “If you say so. You are a smooth talker, Beale. Tomorrow will be a stressful day, we should sleep soon. I'll set the alarm for 8 am, is that okay? Then we'll have enough time to get the groceries and have a look around town in the morning.”

“That's fine. Good night Becs.”

“Good night, Chloe.”

“You totally squealed.” Chloe whispered a few moments later.

“Did not.” Beca grumbled. She was smiling though.

Both girls noticed that their hands were still intertwined but they both didn't bother to bring attention to it. They were comfortable and were soon lulled into a deep sleep to the soft music playing from Alice's room.


	15. Chapter 15

Beca was woken a few hours later by a whimpering Chloe. The other girl was fidgeting in her sleep and had kicked her blanket completely off.

Beca turned on the small lamp next to her bed and looked at Chloe for a moment. The red headed girl had a pained expression on her face and was sweating. She was mumbling something Beca couldn't understand but the brunette girl knew a nightmare when she saw one.

She knew that Chloe had had a few more nightmares over the last few weeks, but Beca managed to calm her down every time before she woke up. She didn't want to make Chloe feel uncomfortable so she never said anything the following days. 

Deciding to focus on Chloe now, Beca carefully scooted closer to the other girl and pulled her into a soft hug. She mumbled soothing things into her ear and stroked her hair a few times.

The ginger quickly calmed down and buried her face in Beca's shoulder. Beca couldn't help but notice how beautiful Chloe looked when she was asleep. The usual signs of stress weren't there and she seemed comfortable. The brunette breathed in Chloe's clean scent and closed her eyes just for a minute. She didn't open them again for the next few hours.

 

Chloe was woken up by the sun shining though the thin curtains in Beca’s old bedroom. She blinked a few times and then tried to sit up to stretch her muscles a little but was reminded quickly that she hadn’t been the only occupant in the bed. Beca was clutching at Chloe’s middle as if she were a teddy bear. 

The red headed girl stopped moving and took the opportunity to really look at the other girl. She’d always thought that Beca was beautiful, but seeing her asleep, with a calm and comfortable expression on her face and with the sun shining on her hair in a way that made it sparkle was breathtaking. 

After staring at her roommate for the next ten minutes Chloe had to accept one thing. She’d tried to rationalize it away and told herself it was just a silly crush that would go away with time, but she now realized that she had fallen for the small brunette. Hard. 

Before she could come to terms with that realization, the sudden blaring of Beca’s phone surprised her and she jumped, which in turn caused the brunette to stir. She was mumbling something and cuddled closer to Chloe. Chloe didn’t mind, but the small girls hands started to wander and were reaching dangerous territory. Well, not dangerous per se, but dangerous if they wanted to leave this room anytime soon.

The ginger sighed deeply and started waking her roommate up.

She whispered quietly to her and stroked her cheek softly. “Wake up Becs, it’s morning.”

Beca groaned and shook her head softly. “No, just five more minutes.” She mumbled and snuggled even closer to the red head until Beca’s head was pressed into Chloe’s chest.

Chloe’s breath hitched and she tried to calm down her breathing and her wildly beating heart.

Deciding that joking about the situation would be the best solution, Chloe smirked down at Beca and leaned closer so she could whisper in the brunette’s ear.

“Don’t you think you should ask me out first, before you get to know the girls?”

Beca furrowed her brows and scrunched her nose. She let out a questioning “Huh?” as she tried to wake up properly.

As soon as she did, she quickly jumped away from her bedmate. She perched on the edge of her mattress, eyes jumping from place to place hurriedly.

The red head giggled at the huge blush on Beca’s face. As she sat up, she noticed that the lamp on the bedside table was still on. She looked at it confusedly, sure that Beca had put out the light the evening before.

“Becs, why is the lamp on? Didn’t you turn it off yesterday?”

Beca, who was still blushing strongly from her earlier sleeping position quickly thought about the best course of action.

If she told Chloe about helping her with the nightmares the other girl would think herself a burden and maybe close off again. Beca accepted that Chloe couldn’t talk about whatever caused these nightmares but she was worried. She had calmed her roommate down a few times these last few weeks and it seemed as if Chloe didn’t remember them, if Beca could calm her down soon enough. But it was her grandma’s birthday today, so she decided that talking to Chloe about these nightmares could wait until they were back at Barden. 

“I think I left the light on when I went to the bathroom last night. Sorry.”

“I was just wondering, no problem. So, did you sleep okay? Were you comfortable?” Chloe added, not being able to throw this opportunity away.

Beca had finally managed to calm down a little, but the blush was back full force as she heard Chloe’s questions. 

“Shut up, Beale. Of course I was comfortable, it is my bed.”

“I’m sure that was the only reason.” Chloe winked and went over to her bag to get some clothes and her toothbrush. “I’ll go and get dressed. I’ll be out in a few minutes. Do you want to shower?”

Beca nodded. “Yeah, but I’ll use the other bathroom. When you’re finished you can head to the kitchen if you want, I’m sure my gran already made some coffee.”

“Will do. See you shortly.” Chloe said before closing the bathroom door after her.

Beca got out of the bed and grabbed some clothes and her toiletries. With one last long look at the bathroom door, she went out of the room and went to the other bathroom to shower.

 

Chloe was dressed and ready ten minutes later. She put her toothbrush back into her bag and went downstairs. She noticed the smell of coffee and quickly made her way to the kitchen. 

The ginger found Alice sitting at the kitchen table, sipping form a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper. 

“Good morning.” She said and went over to the coffee machine. “May I?”

“Sure, good morning Chloe. Did you sleep well?” Alice smiled at her and watched as her granddaughters roommate quickly fixed herself a coffee and sat down next to her at the table.

“Yes, Beca's bed is pretty comfortable.”

“I'm glad. So, where is my granddaughter? Still sleeping?”

Chloe laughed. “No, I know that she usually sleeps in but she's up and in the shower.”

Alice chuckled lightly. “Well, if I know one thing about my granddaughter, it is that she takes a long time in the shower if she has the chance. So let's use this opportunity and talk a little.”

Chloe gulped and got a little nervous. She liked Alice but her tone suggested some kind of serious talk.

“What about?” the ginger asked carefully.

Alice laughed. “Don't look so frightened. It's nothing bad, I promise. I just wanted to ask you what you think about Beca.”

“We`re friends. She is awesome, I really like her.” Chloe replied quickly. 

Alice shook her head lightly and smiled. “Not what I was asking and you know it. So, why don't you try that again? Don't worry I won't tell her anything we'll discuss here. I just want to know where you two are standing.”

Chloe quickly contemplated lying or at least not telling all of her feelings but the mock serious expression on Alice's face and her trustworthy eyes convinced her to tell the truth.

“Well, I like her. A lot. But there are some things preventing me from doing anything about it. It wouldn't be fair to Beca to jump into anything with me before she knows what's going on.” Chloe looked sadly down into her cup of coffee and thought about the whole situation. It was so unfair that she was standing in the way of herself. She just had to tell Beca everything and then let her decide what she wanted to do about their relationship. But she couldn't. It was so hard to talk about it and telling people about it would make it real. It's not that she was living in denial, but when she wasn't home she could always pretend that the end wasn't as near as it was. She liked that she could forget about it when she was with Beca.

Alice sighed. “Well, I don't want to tell you what to do, but why don't you just talk to her? Don't you trust her?”

“Of course I do. But it's not so easy. I'm scared and I don't want it to be real.”

Alice patted Chloe softly on the back and pulled her into a half hug. 

“Fear is often preventing us from finding our happiness. Don't let it rule you. I know it's hard but I'm sure if you talk to Beca calmly and explain everything to her, she will understand.”

Chloe smiled at Alice thankfully. “I will think about it.”

With one last pat on the younger girls back, Alice got up and went to the fridge to start preparing breakfast. “That's all I ask, Chloe. I like you. And I like you with Beca, you're making her happy. Be it as a friend or something more.”

Chloe nodded and got up herself. “You need help with that?” She pointed at the carton of eggs.

“Sure, sweetie.”

Both were quietly preparing breakfast for the next ten minutes until a fresh looking, but obviously still tired Beca joined them in the kitchen.

She went over to her grandma and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and smiled at Chloe. “Morning. What are you two making? I'm starving.”

Alice laughed. “You're always starving. I was always wondering how such a small body could eat so much. Where does it all go?”

“I've got an awesome metabolism. Don't hate the genes.” Beca quipped and quickly poured herself a cup of coffee. “I needed that. So when is it ready? Do you need any help?”

“No, you can sit down. We'll be ready in a minute.” Beca shrugged and sat down at the kitchen table. She pulled the still open newspaper over to her seat and started reading.

Fifteen minutes later they had eaten everything they could and Alice was writing down what she needed from the grocery store while Beca and Chloe washed the dishes and cleaned up. 

“So girls, I don't need much. You should be done with the shopping pretty quickly. Maybe Beca can show you our town a little, Chloe. But be back at 12 pm okay? The others will start arriving at about 12.30 pm, we're having a barbecue.” 

“Sure, grandma. Are you ready Chlo?”

The red head nodded. “Yeah, I'll just grab my purse from upstairs, all right?”

“Sure.” Beca replied.

“Are you sure you don't need us back sooner?” Beca asked her grandma.

“No, everything is taken care of. Your aunt Karen will come in an hour and help me with the last preparations. Go and have fun with Chloe.”

Beca smiled at her grandma and quickly pulled her into a short hug. “I love you. We'll be back in three hours then.”

“Love you too, little one. Go and show that girl a good time.” Alice smirked and pushed Beca in the direction of the door. 

Beca glared at Alice and quickly put on her shoes. “Jeez, calm down, I'm going.”

Alice only smirked. 

Chloe was waiting by the front door and after a quick good bye to Alice, the girls got into Beca's father's car and drove off.

 

After quickly getting all the groceries Alice asked for, Beca ans Chloe still had two hours to spend.

They were standing in the parking lot of the grocery store after stashing the groceries in the trunk. 

“So, what do you want to do Chlo?”

Chloe shrugged. “I don't know. I've never been here. You could show me the town? Maybe we can have some ice-cream?”

Beca scrunched up her nose. “It's 10 in the morning. Who eats ice-cream at that time of day?”

Chloe started pouting. “Ice-cream is awesome. I can eat it all day. Please?”

Not being able to resist the pleading look on the red heads face, Beca quickly gave in.

“Okay, okay. Let's just leave the car here and walk a little. I think there is an ice-cream shop somewhere down the street. Even though I'm not sure they are open yet.”

“We'll see.” Chloe said as she grabbed Beca's arm, linked it with hers and started walking.

The ice-cream shop was luckily already open and both of the girls got two scoops to go and continued their walk. The two of them were walking and talking for about half an hour when they were stopped by someone shouting Beca's name.

“Beca?”

The brunette turned around and saw a group of three girls sitting on a bench on the edge of a park, but they quickly got up and made their way over as soon as they noticed that it was indeed Beca. 

Chloe noticed the brunette's sagging shoulders and the scowl on her face. She wondered who those girls were as they came closer to them.

“What do you want?” Beca asked as the three girls came close enough to hear her.

“Don't be like that. We're your friends.” A tall blonde girl said.

Beca snorted. “You've never been my friends. You bullied me when you found out that I was gay and after three years you decided that having a gay friend was cool so you sucked up to me.”

Chloe slipped her hand into Beca's and squeezed lightly to calm her down.

“Oh, is she your girlfriend? You're so cute together!” The blonde said and Chloe blushed. 

Beca wasn't happy with the interruption. “Come on Kelsey. Can't you leave me alone? We've got something to do.”

Now one of the other girls, a brunette with short hair and heavy make-up, spoke up. “You don't have to be so rude, Beca. We're only trying to be friendly.”

Beca snorted. “Right. Like you were trying to be friendly when you wrote 'dyke' on my locker or when you accidentally spilled all three of your drinks on me? I think not. Just let us go and go back to doing what you were doing. I don't want any trouble.”

Kelsey was now scowling at her. “Well, you don't have to be rude. But I can see when I'm not wanted. Let's go girls.” With that, she and her two goons stalked off.

Beca let out a loud breath. She was still holding hands with Chloe but didn't mind it.

As soon as the girls were far enough away, Chloe started asking questions.

“What was that about?”

Beca tugged at Chloe's hand and they resumed walking. “Nothing. Just some girls from my old high school. They bullied me for three years because I am gay and then suddenly they watched some shit on youtube and they thought having a gay friend was cool. They sucked up to me after that but I didn't want to have anything to do with them. If you haven't noticed already, I'm kind of a loner and I can happily do without those kind of friends. They are annoying.”

“So you didn't have any friends at your school? That can't be, you're an awesome friend once you'll get to know you.”

Beca smirked. “Thanks Beale. But no, not really. I had friends, but they didn't last. In my last year at high school I had some people I had lunch with and some people in my classes who I didn't mind talking to but I wouldn't call them friends. Why do you think my grandma likes you so much? She always wanted me to go out and make new friends.”

Chloe grinned. “I thought she liked me for my awesome wit and looks?”

Beca rolled her eyes. “Sure, if that's what you want to believe.”

The ginger was still grinning. “Well then, aren't you glad I invaded your shower?”

Beca blushed. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“If I hadn't forced you to sing with me buck naked you wouldn't have joined the Bella's and wouldn't have made so many friends. I think you should thank me.”

Beca quirked an eyebrow. “Is that so? What do you have in mind?” She leaned closer until there was only a centimeter of space between their faces.

Quickly loosing her confidence Chloe looked from side to side and started stuttering. “Um, what? I … I think... a coffee? Yes! A coffee, you'll have to buy me a coffee when we're back at Barden.”

Beca rolled her eyes but pulled back a little to allow the other girl some breathing space. “You're so easy, Chlo. But fine, I'll let you go for now. But we'll have to talk about this at some point.”

Chloe knew that they weren't talking about coffee anymore but didn't know what to say, so she just nodded. 

“It doesn't have to be now, but soon, okay?” Beca tried again.

Chloe nodded again. “Yes, okay. But not until we're back at Barden, okay?”

Beca nodded and grabbed Chloe's hand again. “Give me that. Now, what do you say about heading back to the car? It's 11 am and there isn't really much more to see here.”

Chloe smiled and nodded. She secretly loved Beca's confident attitude and wondered why the brunette didn't act this way more often. A question for another day.

Both girls went back to the car and made their way back to Alice's house. It was time for a party.


	16. Chapter 16

Beca and Chloe arrived at Alice's house at around 11.30 am and quickly unloaded the groceries from the trunk of the car. They headed to the front door and rang the door bell.

„Don't you have a key? I thought you were living here just recently?“ Chloe asked with a grin on her face.

„Shut it, Beale. I have a habit of losing keys so grandma confiscated mine after I left for Barden. She said it was for safety reasons but I think she just wants to mess with me.“

Chloe giggled as Alice opened the door and motioned for the girls to bring the groceries into the kitchen.

A short woman with stylish short blonde hair and and a warm smile greeted them when they arrived in the kitchen.

Beca quickly put her grocery bags down and hurried over to the woman and enveloped her in a big hug. “Aunt Karen! How are you? I haven't seen you in months.”

The woman, Karen, laughed and hugged Beca a little tighter. “I'm fine Beca. What about you? How's Barden treating you?”

Before Beca could start her tale a clearing of the throat reminded her that they weren't the only people in the room.

While Beca was occupied with Karen, Alice had come back into the room and took the grocery bags from Chloe who was just standing there and observing Beca and her aunt.

“Really, little one. You don't just forget about your girlfriend. Introductions first, then you can tell Karen all about your college life.”

Beca's mouth dropped open and she stared incredulously at her grandma.

“Wha...” She was interrupted by a loud squeal from her aunt. Karen jumped on Beca and enveloped her in another crushing hug.

“You have a girlfriend?! Why didn't you tell me? Come on, introduce me!” Karen said excitedly.

Beca didn't know what to say. She looked from the smug look in her grandma's eyes to the shocked look on Chloe's face.

Normally she would deny such a claim as soon as it left her grandma's mouth but the opportunity was too good to waste. Chloe had had way to much fun embarrassing Beca in these last few days.

Let's have some fun, Beca thought as she sent an evil grin in Chloe's direction.

Chloe's eyes widened as she saw the calculating look in Beca's eyes and the evil grin on her face. Oh no, what does she have planned?

Beca freed herself from her aunt's arms, went over to Chloe and wrapped her arms around the older girls waist.

“This is Chloe. My roommate and girlfriend. Isn't she just the most beautiful girl you have ever seen? Look at those eyes and that hair!”

Chloe just stood there with wide eyes and a bright red blush on her face.

Alice was chuckling in the background as she put the groceries away.

Karen squealed again. “You two are adorable. It's nice to meet you Chloe. And really, those eyes and that hair are really something. Good catch, Beca.” She winked at Beca, who couldn't hold it in anymore.

She burst out laughing and leaned back on the wall for some stability.

Chloe was now scowling and slapped Beca's arm repeatedly.

“Stop that already! It's not funny!”

Beca looked at the confused look on Karen's face and started laughing again.

“I'm sorry!” More laughter followed and Chloe huffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She turned around to Karen and started clearing up the misunderstanding.

“I'm sorry about her. We're not girlfriends, but thanks for the compliments. I don't know what's going on with her, maybe she still has brain freeze from the ice-cream earlier. Anyway, it's nice to meet you Karen.”

Karen sighed and accepted Chloe's outstretched hand. “Such a shame. But it's nice to meet you Chloe. But there is still hope, things can always change, right?” She winked at Chloe, who was beet red again, and turned around to help Alice with the preparations.

After a few deep breaths Chloe turned around to a still chuckling Beca.

“What is wrong with you?!”

The brunette tried to calm herself down and grabbed Chloe's arm. She pushed her up the stairs to their room. In there, she sat down on the bed and waited for Chloe to do the same. Chloe remained standing, with her hands crossed in front of her chest.

“I'm sorry Chloe. But I knew how excited Karen would be and I couldn't waste that opportunity. You should have seen the look on your face, it was hilarious.”

Chloe was scowling. “It wasn't funny. Why do you think it's fun to embarrass me?”

“Oh, just a little pay-back for this morning. Just to let you know though, I'd like to be properly introduced to the girls one day.” Beca was smirking again. Who would have thought that riling the red head up would be so much fun.

Chloe had turned red again as she heard Beca's words.

“Shut up Mitchell. You said we would be talking about that at Barden. We're still here.”

Beca rolled her eyes. “Yeah yeah, I know. Keep it in your pants woman.”

Chloe's eyes widened. “Excuse me?!”

“Nothing. Calm down. Anyway, I thought we should use the time before the others arrive on a little crash course on who is coming today.”

The red head was still blushing but thought the idea of a crash course didn't sound half bad.

So she just send one last nasty look in Beca's direction, which only made the brunette laugh, and sat down next to the tiny DJ.

“So you obviously met my aunt Karen. She is married to my uncle Christopher, my mother's youngest brother, and they have an adorable five year old girl named Jasmine. She loves everything that has to do with Disney so I guess you two will get along very well.”

Chloe slapped Beca's arm again. “Don't hate on Disney. It's awesome and you know it.”

Beca scowled playfully. “You are so violent woman. I guess I have to think some things over again before we go back to Barden.”

Knowing exactly what Beca was talking about (even though they haven't talked about anything yet), Chloe scowled right back. “Don't you dare! And keep talking about your family, I'm not getting any younger over here.”

Beca mustered Chloe for a moment. “Clearly.”

The red head had already opened her mouth to tell the short brunette where she could put her comments when said brunette started talking again.

“Soooo, anyway, then we have my other uncle Bradley and his wife Olivia. He's my mother's younger brother by three years. She was the oldest. They have a nosy but fun son who is 18 by now and is named Jeremy. We've always hung out on these family events, so I assume we'll see quite a bit of him today.”

Chloe nodded, trying to remember all the names.

“My gran isn't really the biggest fan of my dad so he isn't invited. But his sister Mary and my grandma hit it off as soon as they met all those years ago and she is always invited to these things, along with my uncle Peter and their two daughters Rachel, who is 14 and Taylor who is 13. They are alright I guess. I didn't have much to do with them these last few years but we'll see.”

“Okay, so Karen and Christopher with Jasmine, Bradley and Olivia with Jeremy and from your father's side Mary and Peter with Rachel and Taylor. Is that right?” Chloe asked, shifting through her memory trying to see if she forgot someone.

Beca beamed. “That's right. The other people will be friends from my gran and some neighbors. I'll point them out when we meet them okay? That way you don't have to remember so many names.”

“Thanks. I didn't think you had such a big family. I thought it was only your gran and you from what you told me on the way here.”

Beca sighed. “Yeah. I have a decent sized family but I don't get to see them often. They are living all over the state and we only meet up once or twice a year for birthdays or anniversaries. That's why it was mostly my gran and me. I love them all, but I have that special connection with my grandma that I don't have with anyone else. I can tell her anything, you know? Everybody deserves a person like that in their lives.”

Trying to steer the conversation to happier topics, Chloe took Beca's hand for a moment and squeezed tightly before she started to talk. “So, Karen. Are you sure she is related to you? I mean, I guess I've heard her squeal twice today and by your own behavior yesterday I assume it runs in the family, but she seems so happy. Your bad ass and grumpy behavior is just a mask right? Man, I'm disappointed.” Chloe sighed deeply and looked around the room trying to find something to focus on so she wouldn't look at Beca and start laughing.

Beca was gaping. “Excuse me?! I am very much a bad ass. And that squeal never happened. In fact, I don't even know to what you are referring to.”

Chloe started giggling. She couldn't help herself, the grumpy expression on Beca's face was adorable.

She leaned over, pinched the smaller girls cheek and got up.

Beca looked at her incredulously “Did you just pinch my cheek?! Do you know how much I hate that people are always doing that to me? I'm already expecting that for today from all my grandma's friends, but I don't need that from you too!”

Chloe's giggling had turned into laughter. “Don't be grumpy. Come on, get up. I heard the door bell ring about five minutes ago. Don't let your family wait, we don't want to be rude.”

“Don't worry, my grandma probably already told them I was having sex with my girlfriend up here and that we will be down later.”

“Can you stop doing that all the time?!” Chloe exclaimed and raised her hands in the air in an exasperated movement.

Beca looked at her innocently. “What?”

“That! Always making fun of me!”

“You're doing the same to me, so in my eyes we're even. Come on, let's go downstairs.” Beca grabbed Chloe's hand and pulled her down the stairs with her. They went into the kitchen first and saw Karen with a tall dark haired man and an adorable dark haired five year old.

“Christopher! Jasmine! Hey, how are you?” Beca said as she quickly hugged the two additions to the kitchen.

“Aunt Beca!” Jasmine exclaimed and hugged her aunt tightly. “Can you play with me?”

Beca chuckled. “Not now, but later, okay? I'll have to greet everyone first.”

Jasmine huffed. “Okay, but you promised!”

“Yes, yes, I won't forget.”

“Hey Beca. You good?” Christopher asked as Jasmine ran to her mother as soon as she got the promise from Beca.

“Yeah, everything is going well so far. How about you?”

“Everything is good. So, you want to introduce me to your friend?”

Beca smiled sheepishly and looked at Chloe who was once again standing in the doorway of the kitchen, patiently waiting for Beca to introduce her.

“I'm sorry, Chlo. So Christopher, this is my friend and roommate Chloe and Chloe,this is my uncle Christopher. He's my favorite, but don't tell anyone.” Beca added quietly and watched as Christopher and Chloe shook hands.

“It's nice to meet you Chloe. Beca doesn't really bring people to introduce to the family so you must be pretty special.” He winked at Chloe and laughed at her blush.

“Nice to meet you too Christopher.”

“Don't be embarrassed. We are all pretty outgoing here. We speak our mind and love embarrassing each other. Don't mind it.”

Chloe nodded and smirked a little. “Yeah? What did go wrong with Beca then? She's kind of the complete opposite of outgoing.”

Christopher leaned closer to Chloe and started whispering. “Well, we think she was adopted, but don't tell her I said that, she always gets riled up if she hears tha...”

Christopher was interrupted by a light slap on the back of his had. Delivered by none other than Beca. “I can hear you. Don't believe him Chloe, he's joking. In fact he is always joking. One time he screamed fire and everyone ran out of the house. He stayed behind and ate the last piece of chocolate cake.”

Chloe looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

Christopher just shrugged. “It was a very delicious cake.”

Beca rolled her eyes and grabbed Chloe's hand. “Let's go. He's insane.”

“Hey!” Christopher protested but was interrupted by Karen asking for him. He shot one last wounded look at his niece and shuffled away.

“Your family is crazy.” Chloe whispered in Beca's ear as the brunette pulled her in the direction of the living room.

“Yeah, I know. You'll love them.” Beca simply answered and continued walking.

Chloe frowned. “Hey, was that some kind of insult I didn't get?”

Beca chuckled but didn't comment.

They arrived in the living room / dining room to see some people sitting on the couch, some people sitting at the table and other ones just standing around and chatting.

Beca pulled Chloe over to a teenager who was sitting a little away from the rest and was typing on his smart phone. He didn't seem to notice them and Beca just went over to him and slapped him upside the head. “What's up, nerd?!”

The boy jumped up and rubbed his head where Beca had hit him. “Damn it Beca! That hurt!”

“Don't whine. Get used to it.” the brunette said and gave the boy a quick hug.

Chloe looked at the two of them with wide eyes (for the nth time this day). _Oh my god, she's insane too. I should have never agreed to come here..._

“So Beca, who's this beautiful girl? Want to introduce me?”

Beca rolled her eyes again. “Calm down Jeremy. This is Chloe, my friend and roommate. Chloe, this is Jeremy, the one I told you about.”

Jeremy perked up when he heard this. “Oh? She's talked about me? I'm flattered. So you do love me, little cousin.”

The brunette scowled. “Watch it. I'm still older than you.”

Jeremy smiled. “Well, that may be true but you'll never be taller than me shorty.”

“Come on Chloe. Let's go to some people who appreciate our presence.” Beca said and turned around, grabbed Chloe's hand and started to move away.

 _Seriously?!_ , Chloe thought, _What's with all the hand holding? Not that I mind but she's been doing that the whole day. What's up with her?_

Jeremy chuckled and stopped Beca with a hand on her shoulder. “Don't be angry. Come back when you guys have finished your rounds, okay? I think Rachel and Taylor have been eyeing me since they came in and I need some help from my favorite cousin.”

“Yeah yeah, We'll be back.” Beca rolled her eyes and quickly continued her rounds.

They met Jeremy's parents, Bradley and Olivia who were both pleased to meet Chloe. They talked a little about their work and about college but let them go pretty quickly after that.

After that they went into the kitchen and saw Alice talking to a tall dark haired woman.

Beca went over to the table and got two glasses for her and Chloe. She put some coke in it after asking Chloe what she wanted and made her way over to her grandma.

“Hey grandma, hey Mary, everything alright in here? Do you guys need help?”

Alice smiled at her granddaughter. “No, no everything is good. Christopher is outside with the grill and we should be able to eat shortly. Everything else is already taken care of, but thanks for offering.”

“Sure.”

Beca turned around and hugged Mary without saying anything.

“Hey Beca. You alright?” Mary asked concerned.

Beca nodded into her aunts shoulder. “Yeah.” She wiggled out of the hug and grabbed Chloe's hand again. “This is Chloe. Chloe, this is Mary, my father's sister.”

“Nice to meet you Chloe.” Mary said and smiled at Chloe.

“Nice to meet you too.” Chloe replied and smiled back.

“So, you go to college with my niece?” Mary inquired.

“Yes.” Chloe nodded. “We're roommates.”

Mary chuckled. “Oh, and how is that working for you two? I remember my own roommate from college and let's just say, we weren't roommates for long. We couldn't stand each other.”

Chloe and Beca chuckled. “No no, we're good friends. I think we got lucky that we got to be roommates.” Chloe said and sipped her coke.

“That's good then. So Beca, how is my darling brother? Still an asshole?”

Beca laughed. “No, not really. He even let me borrow his car. I wouldn't say we're getting along great but it's become a little easier since I enrolled in Barden.”

“Hm, well I was looking forward to scolding him in our next phone call. I guess, I'll have to wait for another time then. But knowing him, he'll do something stupid again and then I can shout at him a little again.”

Taking pity on her father, Beca tried to calm Mary down a little.

“There is really no need for that. I think he's been shouted at enough for now. You've been doing it for years, haven't you? Give him a break.”

Mary pouted. “But it's so much fun.”

Alice decided to pipe in then. “Give the man a break Mary. He's trying to make up for his behavior for the last five years. Maybe it's time to forgive him?”

Mary sighed. “I love my brother. But sometimes I don't understand him. I don't get how he could have thrown you out and married that bitch Sheila. Nobody likes her.”

Beca grinned. “Yeah, Sheila is a bitch. But he's still your brother. Don't be mad at him on my account. That's between me and him you know. I don't want you to hate him for my sake.”

“Yes, I know. You've already told me that but I'm still a little mad. And it's fun to mess around with him.” Mary's smile was back and they continued talking for a little while longer until Christopher brought the first trays of barbeque in.

Alice went into the dining room / living room and told her guests that the food was ready.

Everyone quickly gathered in the kitchen to help themselves to some food.

They all seemed to have fun and were talking to each other animatedly. When most of the people had their food, Chloe and Beca each took a plate and put some food on it. They went into the living room and sat down on two chairs in the corner.

“Are you alright Chloe? You haven't said too much today and I'm a little worried that my family is too much.”

Chloe gently squeezed Beca's hand as she looked into the worried looking blue orbs of her roommate. “It's fine. There are a lot of people here, but I can see that you love seeing your family and I don't mind standing in the background for a little bit. Also, you know me, I'm a very social person.”

Beca mustered her a little closer. “You're really not. You are just pretending but that's okay. Thanks for coming with me, I had a lot of fun so far.”

Chloe knew that Beca had seen right through her but choose to ignore the other girls comment. As soon as we're back at Barden I'll tell her everything.

“It's no problem. Your family is insane but they are interesting and funny. I like them. But I have one question for you.”

Beca raised an eyebrow. “Shoot.”

“Why are you always holding yourself back? I see how you are with people you actually like and it's a totally different Beca than the one I get to see at Barden. Why is that?”

Beca sighed. “Do you mind if we put that on the list for “talk about as soon as we're back at Barden”? There are a little too much people here for me to get into that topic right now.”

Chloe nodded. “Sure. But you know that we'll probably need the whole next week if we're putting everything on that list. It's already pretty extensive.”

Beca chuckled. “I know. But I know that we can't go on like this for much longer. And I have a feeling that getting everything out in the open will really help us. Both of us. So I am actually looking forward to our talk.”

Chloe smiled. She loved this more open version of Beca. She had noticed that Beca had been more open in her presence even before they came here, but if there were other people around she always crawled back into her shell. She's been the most open with her grandmother so far and Chloe loved that side of Beca. She looked forward to seeing her like that more often.

They continued eating in comfortable silence when Jeremy plopped down next to them with a loud groan.

“Hey Chloe. Beca, you need to help me.”

“What's up?

“Rachel and Taylor are following me everywhere. I'm starting to think they have a crush on me. You have to help me.” Jeremy pleaded.

Beca snorted. “Ego much?”

“No, really! They are always trying to talk to me and as soon as I say something they blush, giggle and run away.”

“They are just teenagers. Ignore them.”

“I can't! They are everywhere I go.”

“Just hide here then. I'm sure the next time you'll see them they have moved on to hotter guys.”

“Hey! I'm pretty hot!”

“Don't know. Gay, remember?”

Jeremy now turned around to look at Chloe. “You think I'm hot, right Chloe?”

“Umm...”

“Yes, Chloe, do you think he's hot? That's an interesting question.” Beca teased.

“Umm, yes? I guess so.” Chloe answered hesitantly.

“You guess so?” Jeremy sighed dejectedly. “Couldn't you have just left it at yes?”

Beca laughed. “Sucks for you.”

“No Jeremy, you are good looking. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise.”

Jeremy beamed and looked at Beca. “See?! Even your girlfriend thinks I'm hot.”

“We're not girlfriends.” Beca replied. “Where did you get that?”

“Oh, Karen told everyone that you two were so cute together and she wished you were girlfriends. She said not to bother you because she thought you'll have to get together without meddling or something. But now that I've seen you two together, I totally agree. Why aren't you two together yet? Don't you find Beca hot, Chloe?”

“Umm...” Once again wide eyed, Chloe didn't know how to answer that.

“Come on Chloe, don't you want some of this?” Jeremy asked as he pulled down Beca's shirt a little so the tops of her boobs were showing. Nothing inappropriate was showing but Chloe and Beca both blushed bright red.

Beca slapped Jeremy's hands away. “Dude! You can't just go around and do that!”

Jeremy only laughed. “Why? You're roommates, you must have seen the other one changing clothes or something. Also you have some tops that are cut lower than what was seen right now. Don't whine.”

“That's not the point. Change the topic or I'll call Rachel and Taylor over here.”

Jeremy's eyes widened. “No please, I'll behave.”

Beca snorted. “That's what I thought. Want to go somewhere else Chloe?”

The brunette turned to look at her roommate and saw that the girls eyes were still focused on Beca's chest.

Beca grinned. “Are you picturing me naked, Chlo?”

Chloe didn't seem to hear her and continued staring. Jeremy nudged Beca's side. “She so is. Are you really telling me that there is nothing going on?”

Beca sighed. “There isn't at the moment. We'll see what happens in the future.”

Jeremy smiled. “That's what I thought. Don't let this one slip through your fingers Becs.”

“I'm not planning on it.” Beca replied and turned to Chloe again. She reached over to her, put a finger under her chin and raised the red heads eyes until they were on Beca's face.

“See anything you like?” Beca couldn't help the smug grin that had painted itself across her face.

“What? Sorry I was distracted.”

Jeremy laughed. “Oh yes, we noticed.”

Chloe blushed again. She was about to answer when Jasmine came running up to them and grabbed one of Beca's hands.

“Beca! Come and play, you promised.”

The brunette chuckled. “I will, Jas. Have you met Chloe yet?”

Jasmine looked from Beca to the red headed girl sitting next to her and screamed.

“Oh my god! You look just like Ariel! Are you a mermaid?!”

Chloe, Beca and Jeremy laughed.

“No, but thanks for the compliment. I love Ariel. She's my favorite Disney princess.” Chloe replied to the girls question and leaned down a little so she could look the little girl in the eyes.

Jasmine's eyes widened even further. “Mine too! Do you want to play with me?”

“Sure, what do you have in mind?” Chloe answered as Jasmine pulled at Chloe's hand and led her away.

“Was I just replaced as favorite aunt?” Beca asked as she watched as Jasmine and Chloe disappeared around the corner.

Jeremy laughed. “I think so. But what did you expect?”

Beca just smiled.

Alice chose that moment to come over to her grandchildren. “Beca? Jeremy? You want to join our poker game? We were just about to start.”

Jeremy and Beca looked at each other and turned to their grandma. “Sure, what's at stake?”

“Hopefully not strip poker.” Jeremy whispered in Beca's ear. The brunette chuckled.

“I heard that Jeremy. And no, there are children here, so no strip poker. Since you don't have any money, we'll just use gummy bears or something. Come on, the others are waiting.” Alice turned around and moved to the dining room table which could hold up to twelve people.

Jeremy turned to Beca with wide eyes. “You don't think they play it like that when there aren't any children in the house right?!”

“Dude!” Beca exclaimed, horrified by the mental image that slid into her brain.

“Sorry! But if I had to imagine it, so should you.”

“Why?! I could have done without that!”

“Children, sit down. We want to start.” Alice said, amused by her grandchildren's behavior. “Beca, where is Chloe? I thought she would want to play with us.”

“Jasmine whisked her away. I don't think we'll see her in the next hour.”

Alice chuckled. “Well then, let's start this game.”

For the next two hours Beca and Jeremy were playing poker. They thought they weren't that bad at the game and they would surely beat some older people (Most of the people playing were Alice's friends and some neighbors who met weekly to play a friendly game of poker), but they were proven wrong when both of them lost to every single one of the older people.

“Damn, how long have you been playing? I want a poker face like that!” Jeremy exclaimed as he lost again to a bluff from Alfred, one of Alice's poker buddies.

“I've been playing for fifty years now son. There is no way you can win against me.” Alfred said as he collected the chips he had just won.

Jeremy groaned. “I don't have fifty years...”

Everyone at the table laughed at that and continued their game. Half an hour later Beca decided to check on Chloe. She hadn't seen her roommates in the past two and half hours and was getting a little worried.

“I'll take a little break, okay guys?”

Her grandma nodded at her and Beca went out of the dining room in search of her missing roommate. When she couldn't find her anywhere downstairs she went upstairs and found Chloe and Jasmine on the floor on her old bedroom. They were quietly talking to each other and coloring some Disney color book.

Beca slowly moved into the room and sat down next to both girls.

“Hey Jasmine, are you having fun?”

Jasmine looked up from her book and beamed at Beca.

“Yes! I love Chloe, she is so nice and she is pretty like a princess. I want to be like her when I grow up.”

Chloe smiled at Jasmine's words. “Thanks, sweetie. Every girl can be a princess.”

Jasmine smiled brightly and turned back to Beca. “Do you want to draw with us?”

“Sure.” Just as Beca was about to start to draw, Chloe's phone went off.

She looked at it and turned to Beca. “I'll have to take it. I'm just going outside for a moment.”

Beca nodded and turned back to Jasmine, who was happily coloring Bambi and Thumper.

Twenty seconds after Chloe went out of the door the brunette heard a loud “What?!!” from the other side of the door. Beca frowned and stood up, about to see if the other girl was alright, when Chloe came bursting back into the room with tears running down her cheeks.

“Chlo? Are you okay?”

“No, Beca please!”

Beca quickly went over and enveloped Chloe into a hug. “Please what Chloe? What can I do?”

“We have to go now. Please I have to go to the hospital.”

Beca scrunched up her nose. “The hospital? Is someone sick?”

Chloe freed herself from Beca's arms and quickly went over to the bed and shoved her stuff in her bag. “Yes, please let us just go. I'm sorry I'm ruining your grandma's birthday, but I'll have to get back now. I can take a cab if you want to stay here longer.”

Beca shook her head. “No, it's alright, I'll drive you. I'll just take Jasmine downstairs and tell my grandma. Will you pack my bag as well?”

Chloe nodded and Beca took Jasmine by the hand and took her downstairs. Jasmine looked at Beca with wide eyes. “Is Chloe okay?”

Beca shook her head. “No, but she will be. I'm going to help her, okay?”

Jasmine nodded and ran to her mother as soon as she saw her in the kitchen.

Beca went to the dining room and quickly went to get her grandma. She put a hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear.

“Can you come with me for a second?”

Alice looked at her granddaughter's worried eyes for a second and got up.

“Sure, what's up little one?”

Beca pulled her gran over to the front door and quickly told her what was going on.

“We have to leave now, grandma. I'm sorry we're cutting your birthday short but Chloe just got a call that someone is in the hospital and she has to get back now.”

Alice looked concerned. “That's no problem. You're driving her there?”

Beca nodded.

Alice enveloped her granddaughter in a big hug and whispered in her ear. “Take care of her, little one. And take care of yourself too. I'm expecting a call tomorrow, okay?”

Beca nodded and freed herself just as Chloe rushed down the stairs with hers and Beca's bags.

She still had tears running down her cheeks and was sniffing softly. As soon as she arrived downstairs Alice wrapped her up in a big hug as well.

“Be strong, Chloe. Everything will work itself out, don't worry.”

Chloe nodded and squeezed the older woman for a moment.

“Thanks. I'm sorry to leave like this, but I really have to go back as soon as possible.”

“It's no problem. Drive save you two.”

“Thanks for everything Alice. I really enjoyed my time here.”

“I enjoyed your company as well Chloe. You're always welcome here.”

“Thank you.” Chloe answered and opened the door. With another quick hug, Beca said goodbye to Alice and rushed to the car. They pushed their bags in the back seat and were driving away seconds later.

Alice remained standing at the door until she saw the tail lights move around the corner at the end of the street.


	17. Chapter 17

Beca has been sitting in the corner of her bed for the last few hours. She hasn't slept much since coming back to her dorm but couldn't get comfortable enough for a full night of sleep after she had left Chloe at the hospital.

The ride home from her grandma's place had been spent mostly silent. While Beca had been driving, Chloe had cried a little more and sent the occasional text to her aunt Julia. The only thing the brunette had found out from the red head was that her mother was in the hospital and that Julia was with her. Beca had asked more questions but Chloe had pleaded with her to leave the questions for tomorrow. She would tell Beca everything she wanted to know then.

Beca had agreed and they spent the rest of the ride listening to Beca's mixes. When they arrived at the hospital nearly two hours later, Beca wanted to come with Chloe to offer her some support but the red head sent her home, knowing she would probably stay the night. She promised to come back to their dorm and talk to Beca in the morning, so with a last tight hug and a whispered 'Everything will be fine' from Beca, they parted ways.

The brunette had come home then and didn't really know what to do. It had been a little after 7 pm when she got home and she didn't know what to do with the time. She had been very worried about Chloe and her mother and felt restless. She had started doing a lot of things, only to push them away two minutes later, claiming they were boring.

So now, at 8 in the morning, Beca had played every game she had on her phone at least three times and had occupied every available surface in her room at least four times. She had dosed off a time or two but only managed to sleep for half an hour each time. Since she couldn't seem to sleep anytime soon, she decided a coffee was in order, but she didn't want to go outside in case Chloe came back when she was gone, so she just used the kettle in her room. The coffee didn't taste as good as bought coffee does, but it did the trick.

She was sitting in the corner of her bed with her laptop on her knees for the next half an hour and stalked her friends on facebook. She had had an account for a few years but rarely used it. When Chloe asked her a few weeks ago to add her as a friend, she couldn't say no and minutes later all the other Bellas and a few Trebles had sent her friend invites too. She accepted their invites but didn't have the time or interest to search through their profiles.

A few minutes later a private chat blinked in the corner of her screen. Beca scrunched up her nose, wondering who would want to talk to her at 8.30 in the morning on a Sunday. Curiosity won and she clicked on the blinking window.

 **Aubrey Posen (8:32 am)**  
Hey Beca, what are you doing up? Aren't you supposed to be at your grandma's house? If you lied to me so you and Chloe could get out of practice for a few days, I won't be happy.

 **Beca Mitchell (8:33 am)**  
Hi Aubrey. No, I wasn't lying to get out of practice, sometimes I wonder what kind of person you think I am. Anyway, we came back early. Why are you up at this time on a Sunday? Go back to sleep.

Beca wondered what she should tell Aubrey. Since the blonde didn't seem to know that they were back early, Beca assumed Chloe hadn't told Aubrey yet about her mother's recent hospitalization. The brunette figured that Aubrey probably knew something, but if Chloe hadn't told Aubrey yet, she didn't want to be the person to break the news. Not that Beca knew any details of said news.

 **Aubrey Posen (8:35 am)**  
I just finished my morning run. And 8.30 am is not too early to be up, even if it is on a Sunday. And you didn't answer my question, hobbit. Why are you up? And why did you come back early? And why hasn't Chloe texted me yet?

 **Beca Mitchell (8:38 am)**  
So many questions, Posen. And don't call me hobbit, I'm not that small. To answer your questions: Because I couldn't sleep, you have to ask Chloe why we came back early and you also have to ask her why she didn't text you.

 **Aubrey Posen (8:40 am)**  
Thanks, that wasn't very informative at all. Isn't Chloe with you?

 **Beca Mitchell (8:41 am)**  
No.

 **Aubrey Posen (8:41 am)**  
I have the strangest urge to hurt you. Where is Chloe, midget?

 **Beca Mitchell (8:42 am)**  
Not here. Ask her yourself. I don't want to overstep any boundaries.

 **Aubrey Posen (8:43 am)**  
… Does this have anything to do with her mother?

 **Beca Mitchell (8:44 am)**  
… It might.

 **Aubrey Posen (8:44 am)**  
Oh, for god's sake, just tell me already! Is Chloe alright?

 **Beca Mitchell (8:45 am)**  
Define alright?

 **Aubrey Posen (8:45 am)**  
That's it! I'm coming over!

 **Beca Mitchell (8:45 am)**  
No! Wait, Aubrey!

 **Beca Mitchell (8:46 am)**  
Aubrey?

 **Beca Mitchell (8:48 am)**  
Hello?

Two minutes later Beca jumped when she heard loud pounding on her door. Knowing only one person who would be up this early on a Sunday AND bother her right now, Beca opened the door and jumped out of the way as a sweaty Aubrey came rushing into the room. She stopped in the middle of the room and fixed Beca with a threatening glare.

“Out with it, hobbit. Where is Chloe?”

“Hello to you too Aubrey. How was your weekend?”

“Cut the crap and answer my question.”

Beca sighed deeply and sat down on her bed again. Aubrey still stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed and glare on her face.

“We came back early because Chloe got a call from Julia last night. That's all I'm going to say on the matter.”

Beca was surprised to see Aubrey's glare vanish to make room for a worried expression.

“Oh no. It's her mother isn't it? I have to go, are they at the hospital?”

Aubrey was already half out of the room until Beca managed to stop her. She didn't want Aubrey running to the hospital and bothering Chloe since the red head hadn't told Aubrey yet.

“Wait a second, Aubrey. Sit down for a moment and I'll tell you what I know. Which isn't very much by the way.”

The blonde came back into the room and sat down heavily on Beca's chair.

“We were at my grandma's house yesterday and the party was going well when Chloe got a call from Julia. She began crying and begged me to take her home because apparently her mom was in the hospital. So we grabbed our stuff and drove back here in record time. I drove her to the hospital and wanted to come in with her, but she told me to wait here for her and that she would tell me everything once she was back. That was at around 7 pm last night and I haven't heard from her since.”

“Damn it.” Aubrey mumbled under her breath. “And she hasn't called yet?”

Beca rolled her eyes. “That's what I just told you.”

“Don't be a brat.”

“Sorry. I'm just worried and sleep deprived.”

Aubrey sighed deeply. “I know. I'm sorry too.”

When the blonde didn't say anything else in the next two minutes, Beca decided to suggest their next course of action.

“Since sitting around isn't doing us any good, why don't you go back to your room and take a shower. When Chloe comes back I'll sent you a quick text. But since Chloe probably didn't get any sleep last night, she might want to sleep first before calling you. But I promise to tell her to call you later today.”

“I want to say it's a bad plan, but it sounds logical to me. Just... just keep an eye on her for me okay? This isn't easy for her and she needs all the support she can get from her friends.”

“You don't even have to ask, Posen. I'll take care of her.”

Aubrey nodded and stood up. “Well then, I'm counting on you. Don't disappoint me and don't forget the text! See you tomorrow at practice I guess.”

Beca nodded and waved a little goodbye as Aubrey let herself out of the room.

The brunette sighed again and put her laptop away. She didn't want to search through her friend's profile pages anymore. She stretched out on her bed and just stared at the ceiling.

She figured that the thing with Chloe's mom must have been going on for a little while. That explained Chloe's frequent visits to her old house when Beca was busy working at the station. What Beca couldn't figure out was why Chloe didn't just tell her. She had to admit that it stung a little that her roommate didn't seem to trust her with that information.

Before she could think that thought over a little more, the door to her room was opened quietly and she sat up a little to see if it was her roommate. It was.

Chloe looked a little ruffled, her clothes were rumpled, her eyes were red rimmed and her usual smile wasn't on her face. Knowing that this situation called for a hug, Beca sat up a little more until her back hit the wall and opened her arms wide in invitation.

Chloe didn't even hesitate a second before she ran over to Beca and let the brunette wrap her up in a big hug. The red head rested her head on Beca's shoulder and wrapped her arms around the tiny DJ's middle.

They didn't talk for the next ten minutes, just enjoyed the hug for what it was. A silent expression of comfort for both girls.

A little later Beca shuffled around a bit and thought it was time for a few words.

“Hey.” She whispered quietly into Chloe's ear.

Chloe pressed her face deeper into Beca's neck but replied with a quiet “hey.”

“Sleepy?”

“Hm.”

“Do you want to take a nap? I don't think you got much sleep last night.”

Chloe sighed. “I didn't. But I don't want to go to sleep either.”

“Want to stay here a while? I can put on some music and we can just stay like this for as long as you like.”

Chloe hummed affirmatively. “That sounds nice. But I'm sure you're bursting with questions by now. I told you I would tell you once I'm back. I'm back now.”

Beca squeezed Chloe harder for a moment and shook her head slightly. “We don't have to do this now. I can wait.”

Chloe smiled for a moment and sat up for a moment. “Thank you, Becs. I'll quickly change into comfortable clothes and you'll put on the music?”

Beca returned the smile and nodded. “Sure.”

Beca went over to her laptop and started a playlist with a few of her mixes. She set the volume pretty low so they could talk over the music if they wanted to. She then sent a quick text to Aubrey, telling her that Chloe was back and that they would stay in their room for a while. Beca then lay back down on her bed and was joined by Chloe a minute later. The brunette lay on her back and Chloe rested her head on Beca's shoulder again and lay on her left side, her right arm thrown over the brunette's waist, until her finger's found Beca's and grabbed on tightly. Beca's right arm was trapped under Chloe's head, but she managed to stroke Chloe's hair.

They stayed like that for the next half an hour, simply enjoying each others company.

Chloe was about to nod off for the fourth time in the last ten minutes but jumped a little to wake herself back up, when Beca finally just had to ask.

“Why don't you sleep for a while? I won't move if you don't want me to.”

Chloe shook her head. “No, it's alright, I want to stay awake.”

Beca frowned. “You are clearly tired. Why don't you want to sleep?”

“...Nightmares.” Chloe mumbled after a few seconds.

“You think you'll get them if you go to sleep now?”

Chloe only nodded.

Deciding to be honest, Beca spoke up slowly. “Don't worry. I'll chase them away when they do come up. I never told you but I've been doing that for the last few weeks.”

Surprised by that confession, Chloe rose her head from Beca's shoulder for a moment to look her in the eyes. “You have?”

Beca blushed a little and averted her eyes. “Please don't be angry. But when I noticed that you were having another nightmare a few weeks ago I tried to talk to you and calm you down. Surprisingly it worked, with just a few words and few strokes down your hair, you calmed down and didn't seem to remember the next morning. I didn't want to upset you, so I never said anything. I'm sorry.”

Chloe looked at Beca with wide eyes. “The lamp yesterday morning. Did you leave it on when you calmed me down from a nightmare?”

Not knowing how to interpret Chloe's expression, Beca shrugged a little and smiled. “...Yes?”

Chloe closed her eyes and snuggled deeper into Beca.

“Thank you. I've been wondering why the nightmares didn't seem to come so often anymore. Thank you for doing this for me, Becs.”

“No problem, I'm happy to help any way I can, and if it is to sit next to you for five minutes and calm you down every few nights, I don't have a problem with it. So if I promise to chase the bad dreams away if they come to bother you, will you sleep a little? You look exhausted.”

Chloe smiled and quickly grabbed Beca's blanket from somewhere by their feet to pull it over both of them.

“Thank you Beca, you are the best. And I promise we'll talk when I wake up.”

Beca couldn't help but press a quick kiss on top of Chloe's head. “Don't worry. Sleep tight, we'll talk later.”

Chloe seemed to loose the stiffness of her body and molded herself into Beca's side. She was asleep in seconds.

A/N: I'm sorry, I lied (unintentionally, I might add), the talk will be next chapter, but I've already got half of it written down, so I'll post it tomorrow or by the latest, the day after that. The chapter would have gotten too long if I didn't break it off a little early and this seemed like a good stopping point. I realize not much happened in this chapter but it's a build up for the next chapter and I think it's cute in it's own way :) (I do know that there is no such thing as a chapter that is too long, but I wanted the talk to get it's own chapter, so I split it up)  
Anyway, if you enjoyed this little filler chapter, please let me know in a little comment :)


	18. Chapter 18

Chloe was asleep for the next six hours. Beca thought she would get bored quickly, but she spent the time watching over Chloe and calming her down a few times when the red head would get restless. She got up once to get some water and took her phone with her when she came back, but otherwise their time was uninterrupted.

It was about 3 pm when Chloe started to stir. 

She started moving a little and tightened her hold on Beca's waist. Unfortunately, the movement pressed down right on Beca's bladder and made it hard for the brunette to stay still. She hadn't wanted to move again after her first trip to get her water bottle so she had tried moving as little as possible in the last half hour, but the coffee from earlier had run it's course.

“Chloe? Are you awake?”

“Hmm, yeah. Kinda. You are really comfy Becs.”

Beca squirmed a little when Chloe didn't cease her movements. “Thanks, and I'm really comfortable with you too right now, but can you let go of me for a second? I really have to go to the bathroom.”

Chloe opened her eyes and saw Beca's tense face and noticed her subtle squirming. She giggled softly and let go of Beca. “Sure, but hurry, it's already getting cold.”

With that, Beca was out of the bed in a second and hobbled over to the bathroom. She quickly did her business and came back two minutes later. Chloe hadn't moved much, so Beca just got back into her place from earlier. They snuggled up together again and enjoyed the warmth between them.

“So,” Chloe said. “I think I owe you some explanations.”

Beca hummed affirmatively. “Firstly, is your mother alright?”

Chloe sighed. “For now she is. I think it's best if I start at the beginning and if you have any questions, just ask them. Okay?”

Beca nodded and squeezed Chloe reassuringly for a moment.

“My mother and I have always been close. My father was always pretty distant with both my mom and I. I don't doubt that he loved us, in his own way, but it didn't really show. He has been like that for as long as I can remember, so I got used to it. But because of that I was always closer with my mom. He left us when I started high school and it was hard for us, but it just didn't work between him and my mom anymore. I was sad, but he wasn't a very prominent figure in my life, so I got over it and moved on. Mom took it a little harder than me, but she eventually managed to accept it as well. We were doing a lot of stuff together when I was in high school. My mom is one of my best friends and I can talk to her about everything. Well, nearly everything.”

Beca raised an eyebrow, which Chloe didn't see since the girls face was still pressed into Beca's neck. “Nearly?”

Chloe nodded. “Yeah, the nightmares for one. I don't tell her about those. And... um, the mood thing you noticed at the hospital? I don't tell her about that either.”

“But why?”

“I'll get to that in a few minutes okay?”

Beca nodded and let Chloe continue telling her story.

“So, you know about Tom, right?”

“Your ex that you broke up with through text message.”

Chloe cringed slightly. “...yeah. That's him. Anyway I had been dating him for my last year of high school and prom was coming up. I went to the mall with my mom to get a dress but we didn't find anything fitting. It was dark when we were driving back and a guy didn't see the red lights and crashed into us at an intersection. Mom and I were taken to the hospital. We both had some scrapes and bruises, I had a concussion and a small cut on my forehead. Mom broke her leg and had a slight concussion. Inconvenient but nothing life threatening. I guess I can be grateful to that driver for crashing into us when he did.”

Beca blinked. “Huh? Did you just say you should be grateful?”

Chloe nodded and rubbed the scar on her forehead. “Yeah. If he hadn't crashed into us, the doctor's wouldn't have found out as soon as they did.”

Beca hesitated for a moment, not wanting to upset her roommate, but wanting her to open up finally. “Found what out, Chloe?”

“That my mom has a brain tumor.”

Beca took in a sharp breath and tightened her hold on the ginger. “Chloe...”

“I know. The fancy word is intracranial neoplasm. They found out about it when they did some tests after the accident. I don't want to bore you with the details, but she's been having chemo therapy on and off for the last two years. I had just graduated and was looking forward to going to Barden together with Bree, but mom couldn't continue working and someone had to pay the bills. So I did some jobs on the side to earn some money. I worked as a waitress and did some cleaning.”

“So that's what you were doing before you came to college.”

Chloe nodded. “Yeah. It wasn't easy and it wasn't exactly my dream job, but I didn't mind doing it since it helped out my mom. I went with her to most of her doctor's appointments and that's where I got my apprehension of hospitals.”

“How so?”

“Well, it was already a pretty hard blow how I found out. I had just awoken from the car accident and my aunt Julia was sitting next to my bed. She told me what happened and when I asked her where my mom was, she said the doctor's were doing some tests on her. I wasn't really worried then, since Julia said that mom was mostly okay, but when mom came back into the room a few minutes later and I saw the look on her face, I knew something was seriously wrong. When they told me that she had cancer, I think I passed out for a moment.”

Chloe took a few moments to breath properly. She didn't want to start crying right now. She wanted to get everything out as soon as possible and deal with the fall out later.

“Let's just say I didn't deal with that diagnosis very well. I think I cried the whole time I was in the hospital. They let me go the next day and Julia, mom and I went home together. I had a lot of texts on my phone when I finally turned it back on when I got home. I ignored every last one of them and stayed in my room for days. I only went out when I accompanied mom to the hospital for more testing. I broke up with Tom then. I had planned it for a while and I didn't want to string him along any longer. He had been sending me text after text and when worry turned to anger on his part I thought it was time to end it. He couldn't understand why I stood him up at prom and I didn't bother telling him that I was in the hospital at that time. Sadly I found out that my friends weren't really friends at all. They tried reaching me for a while but when I ignored them they just gave up. Everyone except for Bree, of course. I don't think she would stay out of my business even if I wanted her to.”

Chloe was chuckling sadly and stared at the wall while she talked.

Beca watched the red head and stroked her hair a few times during Chloe's explanations. She had noticed that Chloe seemed to want to get it over with as fast as possible, since her sentences got shorter and she began talking a little faster.

“She loves you very much.”

Chloe nodded. “Yes, I know. I love her as well. I don't know if I could have gotten out of my depression if it wasn't for her. She tried contacting me, but I didn't want to talk to anyone so I ignored her as well. And let me tell you, a Posen doesn't do well with people ignoring them. She came storming into my room about a week after I came home from the hospital and demanded to know what was going on. Of course I didn't tell her just because she wanted me to. But when she wouldn't budge and started following me everywhere, even the bathroom, I had enough. I started shouting at her and somehow I ended up crying into her shoulder and telling her everything that had happened.”

“Sounds like Aubrey.” Beca murmured quietly, not wanting to interrupt her roommate.

“Yeah. So I was kind of depressed and had to go with mom to the hospital to countless tests and every single time the results were something negative. I'm not scared of hospitals in general, I'm just wary of them, since they remind me of all the bad news we have gotten from such a place. I'm sorry I made you come with me the other day. But I don't think I could have done it alone. I was scared I would get bad news too and it helped that you came along. Thanks again.”

“No problem, I was happy to go with you. Speaking of that day, can you tell me about the mood thing? I just don't know what to make of it.”

Chloe sighed and sat up for a moment. She spotted Beca's water bottle next to the brunette's bed and asked her if she could have some. Beca nodded and Chloe took a big gulp before laying back down next to Beca.

“I'll have to start with the nightmares first so you can understand, okay?”

Beca nodded.

“The nightmares started when I was still in the hospital. I think it was a combination from the shock of what mom told me and the lingering effects of the car crash that triggered them. It is basically always the same nightmare. Well, it isn't so much a nightmare, as it is a memory. It's always starting when my mom and I drive home from the shopping trip. The driver always hits us at the intersection and I always wake up in the hospital. Julia is there and then mom comes in and tells the news. That's when the dreams change every now and then. Basically my mind thinks up any way it can kill my mom as fast as possible. I'm always dreaming of her death one way or another. Most of the times it's the cancer that kills her in the end but some other times it's some lingering injuries from the crash or another accident or even something ridiculous like food poisoning after eating too many zucchini. What they all have in common is that my mom dies in every single one of those nightmares. I don't need a psychologist telling me what my dreams mean, I think it's pretty clear, but they just won't go away.”

“I had them every night for a week after coming home from the hospital. Julia stayed with us a little before going back to her house in LA and more often than not, she heard me crying and screaming and woke me up. Her and my mom got worried and after a week they sat me down and wanted to talk to me about maybe visiting a shrink. I definitely didn't want to do that, so I did the only thing that could convince them to forget about the topic. I stayed awake for as long as possible and learned to be quiet during my nightmares. Julia had to wake me a few more times but after a little while it was working quite well for me. Mom and Julia thankfully backed off when I assured them that I was fine.”

“I do believe you Chloe, but how can you teach yourself to be quiet during a nightmare? Is that even possible?” Beca asked with a confused expression on her face.

Chloe shrugged. “Apparently. I don't know how I made it work, I just know it does. I thought that it would be okay after that but mom still worried. I wasn't talking to my friends, apart from Aubrey but she had some summer classes to attend, so she didn't have time very often. I had broken up with Tom and spent my time in my room doing nothing. After a few weeks of that, mom sat me down again and brought up the shrink again. She said that I wasn't behaving like myself anymore and that she was worried. She thought that it would maybe help me to talk to a professional. I knew that she had talked a few times to Dr. Stevens, a doctor the hospital suggested my mom talk to after the confirmation of the diagnosis, and that she thought talking about it could help me too. But I still didn't want to talk to anyone. So I did what seemed logical to me at that time.”

“You pretended.” Beca whispered, more to herself than to Chloe, but the red head still heard her and nodded.

“Yeah, I pretended. I had a very bubbly and happy personality through high school and was a very social person. I played volleyball and was good in school. I had a lot of friends and loved clothes and everything colorful. I was just happy in general. And I couldn't be that way after I found out that my mom would die in the next few years. But when I noticed that my changed behavior was affecting and worrying mom greatly I thought that I should try and be better for her. I know that I couldn't magically get better or forget about what would happen in the future but I thought I could wear a mask and pretend to be fine for a while. Only until I got better for real. Sadly that hasn't happened yet.”

Chloe chuckled humorlessly and turned onto her back so she could look at the ceiling. 

“Hey, don't beat yourself up about it. Nobody can tell you how to feel and you shouldn't feel the need to hide your true feelings.”

The red head sighed. “Yeah I know, but I don't want mom to worry about me as well. She has so much on her plate right now and I don't want to add to it. I don't want to be a burden.”

Chloe began crying softly again and Beca wiped the tears away with her thumbs and made Chloe look at her. “Listen to me, Chloe. I know that I don't know your mother but I can assure you that your mother loves you and that you couldn't ever be a burden to her. All the mother's out there love their children unconditionally, I think it comes with genetics or something. What I want to say is, don't hide your true self behind a mask. Your mother would understand if you told her what you were feeling.”

Chloe hugged Beca again and cried into her shoulder. She calmed down a few minutes later.

“I know Becs, but I'm scared. I've been acting like my old self for over two years now and I don't even know if I know my true self anymore. I thought I would get better after a few weeks, but it just didn't happen.”

“Calm down, red. Of course you know who you are. You are Chloe Beale, you love your family, good music and your friends like no one I have met before. You are friendly and open to everyone you meet even if deep down, you don't feel as comfortable in big crowds as you did in your high school years. You have literally no boundaries when it comes to privacy and you love coffee. I could tell you more, but I think you know where I am going with this. You don't have to act like the 'old Chloe' or whatever you are calling it. You ARE the old Chloe, just with new experiences that changed your look on life a little. But that didn't change your personality. It just added another layer. YOU are Chloe Beale, you don't have to act like her.”

A new round of tears were falling from Chloe's eyes as she looked at Beca with admiration in her eyes. She saw the confidence and belief in what she said in Beca's gaze and couldn't look away. Chloe felt like a big weight has been lifted off her shoulders with just a few words from her brunette roommate. She couldn't believe what kind of difference it mad that Beca had said that to her. She didn't think Beca grasped the impact the words had on her.

“How do you know just what to say? It's like you have all the answers.”

Beca thought it was time for a short break in the heavy conversation, so she grinned at Chloe.

“I love Chinese food and the fortune cookies have told me a lot about life. I'm just repeating their wise words.”

Chloe couldn't help but laugh at the playful expression on Beca's face. “Yeah, right. I'll let you have this one Mitchell, but next time I'm asking you a serious question, you better answer.”

Beca grinned and sat up a little until her back hit the wall. Chloe mimicked her. “You want to take a break Chlo? You look truly exhausted.”

Before Beca had even finished speaking, Chloe was already shaking her head. “No, I'm fine. I want to get it all out and then don't talk about it anymore, is that okay?”

“Sure, anything you want.”

“Where were we? Right, my behavior. Well, it's kind of self explanatory now. I'm acting like the old Chloe in public so no one will notice the difference and sometimes I'm exaggerating a little bit. I think you noticed that when we first met. I was kind of hyper, if you remember.”

“Oh I do. I thought you were on the mother of all sugar rushs. For days on end. I couldn't figure out how you could always be so happy.”

“Well I wasn't. But I wanted to make a good first impression on you and thought the old Chloe would make you like me more. I toned it down a little after getting to know you a little better though. And I guess I messed up a few times when my nodes started hurting. And since we are on the topic, I really wanted to apologize to you. I behaved like a bitch when you were so kind and came with me to the hospital. It was just that nobody had seen through me like that and actually confronted me with their thoughts so I panicked and didn't know what to do. So I became distant and wasn't very nice to you. I'm really sorry.” Chloe hung her head a little and fidgeted with her fingers.

Beca grabbed Chloe's hands and squeezed reassuringly. “Don't worry about it, I've already forgotten about it. But remember, you don't have to pretend with me. You can be honest with me and show your feelings without fear of judgment. I like you Chloe. That won't change any time soon.”

Chloe smiled brightly at that. “You like me, huh?”

Beca rolled her eyes. “Let's finish one conversation before starting with another, okay?”

Chloe pouted. “Okay, okay. You are no fun though.”

Beca laughed. “I'm plenty of fun, you'll see. So why a nurse? You never really answered that when I asked you a few weeks ago.”

“That's an easy one. I always wanted to be a teacher when I was younger and had already applied to some courses at Barden shortly before I graduated High School. But after my mom's diagnosis I spent much time in the hospital, sitting with her for her chemo treatments and waiting for new results. That got boring very quickly and I started talking to the nurses and the other patients. While I was there I saw what nurses really do and wanted to be like them. I want to ease the pain of people and be their shoulder to cry on if they don't have anyone else. It's a wonderful job and very rewarding in a sense. I always loved helping people and I think studying to be a nurse can do that.”

“That's a nice dream Chloe. I'm confident that you'll make a great nurse.”

“Thanks Becs, that means a lot to me. Most people tell me that I should strive for something bigger and better but I think having a job that makes you happy every day is more important than the amount of zeros on your check at the end of the month.”

“Yeah I think so too. You have to do what makes you happy, otherwise life would be spent worrying about what ifs. Do what you feel is right for yourself Chloe.”

Chloe thanked Beca with a big smile. Beca loved seeing that expression on the red heads face and hoped it would stay for a while.

“So Beca, any other questions? I know I kinda jumped all over the place while talking but it's difficult when so much was going on at roughly the same time in my life.”

Beca looked at her sheepishly. “Well, one or two more I guess. But only if you're up for it.”

The red head rolled her eyes. “I'm fine. I'm pretty tired but I can handle a couple more questions. And if I remember correctly, we still have one other talk to get out of the way.”

“You have a one track mind, Beale.”

Chloe shrugged. “Sue me.”

Beca sighed deeply. “Whatever. So I guess you have been visiting your mom when I was working at the station? I always wondered where you went.”

“Yep. Although I seem to remember telling you that I was going home.”

“Well... I kind of didn't quite believe you...”

Chloe looked at her with a mock offended look on her face and slapped Beca's arm lightly. “Did you think I was lying?”

Beca grabbed her arm and leaned away from the violent red head. “Noooo... not really. But there was so much that didn't add up that I just sent my mind on a journey and when it came back it brought back all kinds of crazy ideas.”

Chloe lifted an eyebrow? “Oh? What kind of ideas? Do tell!”

The brunette shook her head. “No. I don't even remember. So Volleyball, huh? You played a while?”

Chloe nodded. “Yeah, about 4 years, I really liked it.”

“Why did you stop?”

“Well after I finished High School I had to work and didn't have much free time. The free time I had I spent with my mom or Aubrey. And I didn't really want to get in the middle of a team again you know? If you play in a team you have a responsibility to be there for the games and training times and you have to socialize with your team mates. I didn't want to make that kind of promise if I didn't know I could keep it. So I stopped playing.”

“Do you want to start again? I think I saw a flyer about a Volleyball team when I was roaming the activities fair. I'm pretty sure there is a team at Barden.”

Chloe shook her head. “Not at the moment, but maybe later. I have enough on my plate with school and the Bellas. And you know, mom. No time for any other commitments.”

Beca nodded. “Okay. I hate to break the mood but is your mom alright? You told me earlier that she was fine for now. Does that mean she won't be fine much longer?”

Chloe sighed deeply. “Yeah. You remember the day when I told the Bellas about my nodes?”

“Yes. I always wondered what was going on with you. You were so distracted that day.”

“I was. Mom had just called me before the performance and told me what the doctor's told her at her latest appointment. She had been in remission for the last few months but sadly the doctor's told her that the cancer was back. She told me on the phone and I couldn't concentrate on anything after that. And since Bree kinda put me on the spot after that awful performance, I just blurted out the first believable thing. I didn't want the others to find out about my mom like that so I skirted the truth a little.”

“Oh Chloe, I am so sorry. I don't really know what to say, but I'm here for you if you need me. Your mom is strong, she has been through this for the last two years and she is still here. Don't give up when she hasn't either.”

Chloe shut her eyes for a moment and willed the tears back. She had been crying enough for one day. 

She opened her eyes again and looked at Beca. “Thanks. I'm sorry too. Any other questions?”

Beca furrowed her brow. “I don't think so. But I'm sure there will be more along the way. Just one last thing. What happened yesterday? Why is your mom at the hospital?”

“My mom isn't doing so well right now. The new round of chemo hasn't been going well because the doctor's tried a new medical substance that could help get rid of the cancer cells faster. But my mom didn't react well to them and when she was cooking dinner with my aunt last night she started vomiting violently and complained about not being able to see clearly. Julia wanted to call the ambulance but mom said it would be over soon. The vomiting went on another ten minutes and I think mom was so exhausted that she fainted. Julia called the ambulance then, because the doctor's have told us that we should take any change seriously and get back to the hospital as soon as possible when any symptoms started to appear. Julia rode with mom to the hospital and called me when they started doing tests on mom. I wasn't prepared for such a call and was extremely worried so I begged you to take me home. I'm sorry if I was a burden.”

Beca hugged Chloe again and whispered in her ear. “You are not a burden Chloe. Please remember that. I'm sorry about your mom. Did you stay with her last night?”

Chloe nodded but didn't move. She enjoyed Beca's hugs, especially when they are given freely like today. 

“Yes. I stayed with her until she woke up this morning. She said that she is already feeling better and that I shouldn't worry about her so much. She sent me home to get some sleep.” 

“Then sleep is the next point on our agenda. Both of us are tired and we need the energy for practice tomorrow. I'm sure Posen will make us run extra laps because we missed practice these last three days.”

Chloe chuckled, head still nestled into Beca's neck. “Don't be mean to Bree. She just wants what's best for the Bellas.”

“Yeah yeah... We'll see. Now go to sleep.” Beca straightened herself out on her bed again and pulled Chloe down next to her. 

When both of them were laying next to each other comfortably, Chloe chose to breach another topic. “Wait Becs, we still have one thing left to talk about. You promised we would talk when we were back at Barden. We are back now.”

Beca grinned at the red head. “I thought we could leave that talk for later. I'm not in a hurry.”

“No! I mean, I don't want to wait any longer. I mean, I think you liked me before I told you all about the heavy stuff in my life and I just want to know if you're still feeling the same or if you decided that you don't want to deal with all my baggage. I would understand it, if that was the case I just need to know, otherwise I can't sleep and...” 

Chloe's rambling was interrupted by Beca's soft lips that were suddenly pressed on her own lips. It was just a short peck but it was sweet none the less. Chloe couldn't help but smile brightly when Beca pulled away.

“Shh, Chloe. I still like you, don't worry. Go to sleep and let's talk about details later. Come here and snuggle with me, you won't get the opportunity often, so cherish it. And now close your eyes and shut down your mind. Just sleep.”

With a deep content sigh Chloe did just that. Both girls were asleep within minutes.

A/N: Woah, it's done. I hope I got everything I wanted to address in this chapter. It wasn't so easy with all the different things going on but I tried my best. I hope you enjoyed it. And if you think that I went over certain things a little fast and in not so much detail, just remember that this story is far from done and that Chloe was pretty tired. She just wanted everything out in the open as fast as possible and left out some details. Most of the topics will come up again. I'm pretty tired now myself, so good night people. If you liked it, please leave a little comment to let me know :)


	19. Chapter 19

They slept until early the next day. Beca woke pretty early at around 6.30 in the morning. It was Monday, so that meant going back to classes. Luckily both her and Chloe had classes that didn't start until 11 am. So she snuggled a little deeper into Chloe's embrace and let her mind roam.

Beca couldn't believe how much has happened over the weekend, now that she has had time to think about it. First the drive over to her grandma's where they had talked about her father and then Chloe meeting her grandma and the party and the phone call and the drive back home and then the talk with Chloe yesterday. It was a lot, but Beca was glad that most of their secrets were out in the open now. She felt as if she could start building a relationship with the redhead, now that she wasn't kept out of the loop anymore.

And that was a thing that surprised Beca. She actually wanted to start something with the redhead. It wasn't that she didn't want to before their talk but it was a new thing for Beca in general. Apart from one or two flings during high school, Beca wasn't really interested in a relationship. She liked her space and was mostly happy when she was alone. Normally, she avoided physical contact of all kinds. She could shake hands and could bear the occasional hug from a friend, but she never initiated contact with anyone except for her grandmother and some people in her family. Luckily she didn't see the rest of her family that often so she didn't need to hug them all too often.

But it was different with Chloe. She had spent the last 20 hours cuddling in bed with the redhead. She initiated hugs and felt comfortable. That was new for Beca but she didn't particular mind the change. As long as it was Chloe, she didn't mind a lot of things. 

Chloe chose that moment to stir. She had her head on Beca's shoulder and her arms were wrapped tightly around the younger girls waist. She mumbled something unintelligibly and burrowed her head deeper into Beca's neck. Her breath tickled the brunette's neck and she couldn't help but start giggling.

The redheads eyes shot open and looked at her roommate shocked. “I can't believe it. First you are squealing like a little girl and now you are giggling. What have you done to my super cool roommate?”

Beca's giggling stopped abruptly and she cleared her throat. “I don't know what you mean. I think I heard something from outside, probably just some birds. It's early, they are very active at this time of day, right?”

Chloe snorted. “Right. Keep telling yourself that, I know what I heard.”

Beca smiled. She didn't mind Chloe seeing her softer side but that didn't mean she would just admit it. The girls looked at each other for a moment, smiling happily. 

“Good Morning Chlo. Did you sleep alright?”

Chloe exhaled loudly and seemed to sink even further into Beca's embrace. “Better than ever before. You know that I'll never sleep all the way over there again, right?” She mumbled into Beca's neck as one of her finger's moved slightly to point in the direction of her own bed on the other side of the room. Since that finger, and the hand attached to it, were still kinda under Beca's back, all the movement did was make Beca squirm.

Noticing this, Chloe did it again and got the same reaction.

Three things happened simultaneously then. A bright and mischievous smile painted itself on Chloe's face, while Beca's eyes widened comically, already interpreting the look the redhead shot her correctly, and Chloe's hands started moving. Trying to protect her vulnerable sides by swiftly crossing her arms over her abdomen and curling into a ball, Beca tried to get away from Chloe's prying fingers. 

Chloe's smile brightened even more when Beca couldn't help herself anymore and started giggling uncontrollably. They wrestled around for a little while, Chloe trying to tickle Beca's sides and the younger girl trying to get away from her roommate in vain.

The redhead finally managed to pin Beca down by straddling her thighs and securing the brunette's wrists over her head. 

“Stalemate.” Beca chuckled and grinned at Chloe, who was hovering above her with a faraway look in her eyes. 

Chloe couldn't help but admire the girl in front of her. Beca's hair had been in a bun over night but a few streaks of hair had managed to escape their prison and framed the brunette's face beautifully. Her eyes shone bright with laughter and her lips were painted in a slight smirk. She had no make-up on her face, but the morning sun that shone through the window encased her whole face with a golden glow. Chloe had never seen anyone more beautiful in her life.

Beca cleared her throat, blushing brightly under the redheads intense stare.

Startled out of her thoughts, Chloe blinked a few times. “Um, what?”

The small brunette smirked. “I said 'stalemate' but I guess you didn't hear since you were too busy staring at me. Like what you see?” She winked and now it was Chloe's time to blush.

“Sorry. And for the record, I do. Very much.” Chloe returned Beca's wink. “What do you mean with stalemate?”

Beca smiled, her blush not receding. “I don't know if you have noticed, but the way you are sitting and holding my hands up over my head means that I can't move and you need your hands to tickle me. Which won't work because if you let go, my hands will be free as well. So stalemate.”

Chloe's blush returned full force as she remembered her current position but decided to play with the brunette a little. They had been delaying that conversation long enough.

“I don't really need my hands. You know what works just as well?” she asked and started leaning down until her face was inches away from the edge of Beca's shirt, near her collarbone. The brunette started squirming as Chloe's teeth grabbed the hem and started pulling down slowly.

Beca's heart was pounding loudly, eyes wide, she watched as the redhead pulled it down another inch until... Chloe started laughing. 

Chloe had been watching Beca through the fringe of her hair and couldn't help laughing as she saw the shocked expression on the other girl's face.

She sniggered for a good two minutes until she calmed down and turned to look at Beca again, who was scowling now.

“Not cool dude.”

Chloe grinned. “Sorry, couldn't help myself. Just know that I don't always need my hands. Other things work just as well.”

Beca didn't lessen her scowl but she felt as if the blush had been permanently tatooed on her face by now.

Trying to save some face, she rolled her eyes. “So, care to get up? I think we established that you won this time. But next time I'll get you Beale.”

“Thanks Becs! I like winning very much, especially when it comes to you. But I think I'll stay here. I'm comfortable and we still need to have that conversation. Don't postpone it any longer, if you haven't noticed I'm very impatient if I don't get what I want.”

Beca groaned. “Really? Like this? And do we really have to talk about it? Isn't it already kind of obvious?”

Chloe shrugged. “I'm about 99% sure, so you'll have to say it out loud for the last percent to clear things up.”

“Why me? Can't you just say it and then I can kiss you in confirmation?”

Chloe scowled. “No. Please just say it Beca. I need to hear it from you.”

Beca sighed but smiled at her roommate. “Okay okay. So, Chloe, I think it's pretty obvious that I like you. Very much. And if you feel the same way, would you do me the honor of letting me call you my girlfriend?”

Chloe squealed loudly and leaned down to finally kiss Beca properly. She let go of Beca's hands and used her own to cup the brunette's face. Beca put one hand behind Chloe's neck to pull her deeper into the kiss and rested the other one on Chloe's shoulder.

When Beca opened her mouth a little to take a small breath Chloe used the opportunity to deepen the kiss further and started exploring Beca's mouth. The small brunette didn't mind and participated happily. 

It was all Chloe expected and more. Kissing Beca was like nothing she had ever done before and the redhead felt like she could get addicted to being kissed like that. 

Beca had similar thoughts running though her head as her hands started roaming over the redheads back. Kissing Chloe was like kissing the sun and coming home at the same time. The contrast of the familiarity she felt, even though she hadn't known Chloe that long, and the burning desire that was ignited by Chloe's flaming kisses caused Beca's brain to banish any other thoughts other than kissing Chloe. She could do it forever. 

Much to both girls regret they had to come up for air some time. With a last nibble on Beca's lower lip, Chloe pulled back and took a few deep breaths.

“That was...”

Beca nodded, also breathing heavily. “Yeah... Let's do it again?”

The redhead giggled and leaned her face into Beca's neck. “I'd love that. But first, we are together now, right? Girlfriends?”

Beca smiled. “If you want to. You know you haven't really answered my question.”

Chloe snorted. “I think that kiss was answer enough. But if you need me to spell it out: Yes Beca, I'd love it if you called me your girlfriend.”

Beca's smile widened until her cheeks hurt. “Awesome!”

Chloe grinned and leaned down again. “So, where were we?”

 

The two girls had spent the next two hours kissing and lightly making out in Beca's bed until the grumbling of the brunette's stomach alerted them to the fact that both of them were starving. Both had been too tired and emotional to think about food yesterday.

Chloe suggested going to Remy's for breakfast and Beca happily agreed. They dressed quickly and walked the short walk over to Remy's holding hands. They arrived at 9 am and sat down in a booth next to each other and ordered a good amount of breakfast foods.

They had already finished half of their breakfast when they noticed the door bell chime and a tall blonde girl walking in, books under one arm, her laptop under the other. Chloe quickly called her over when she noticed that it was her best friend.

“Bree!”

Aubrey jumped slightly and turned around to look for Chloe. She noticed her sitting next to the hobbit with a a lot of plates on their table. She walked over to them and sat down across from them, mustering them suspiciously. Something was different.

“Hey Chlo. Hey hobbit.” Chloe grinned and Beca scowled. 

“I'm not that small...” she mumbled under her breath and put another pancake into her mouth.

Chloe giggled. “Be nice Bree. What are you doing here so early? I thought you had a class this morning?”

Aubrey sighed. “Yeah, normally I would, but I had so much to do over the weekend that I didn't have the time to finish my assignment for my afternoon class so I have been in the library for the last two hours. I was craving some coffee and a break so I ended up here.”

Beca gasped loudly, obviously playing her reaction up on purpose.

“Are you saying what I think you are saying Posen?!”

Aubrey blushed bright red. “I only have Philosophy this morning. It can't hurt if I only miss it once. I've already asked someone to give me their notes.”

Beca started laughing. “If you really think somebody in that class is taking notes, you should check your head. I've had it for a few weeks now and let me tell you, there is not a single class more boring than that. In fact, I've stopped going last week. But if someone asks, I'm posing an important philosophical question: If I don't actually go to class, will it still suck?”

Aubrey couldn't help but laugh at that but stopped herself seconds later. School was important. “You really shouldn't skip Beca. Or don't you want to get a good education?”

Beca shrugged. “Not really. I've got other plans.”

Chloe had been feeling euphoric all morning but the sudden dose of reality cooled her mood from blazing to barely warm enough to touch. How could she have forgotten? Beca doesn't actually want to be here. What if she just decides that she has enough of college and leaves for LA? 

She searched for Beca's hand under the table and squeezed it tightly, not letting go.

Beca looked at Chloe with a puzzled expression but couldn't find anything on the other girl's face. She decided to ask her later.

Noticing, but not knowing what it means, Aubrey decided to continue the conversation. 

“That's nice, why don't you tell me all about it later? I don't have much time now, but how was your weekend?”

Chloe remained silent so Beca chose to answer.

“Well, we've had some very good and some not so good things happen. Some emotional stuff but I think things are looking up?” She turned around to look at Chloe who only shrugged. 

Aubrey narrowed her eyes. Something was definitely up. “Chloe, did the two of you talk? About... you know?”

Chloe nodded. “Yes Bree, she knows about my mother.”

Aubrey smiled a little. “Okay good. That's a good thing right?”

Chloe nodded.

“Then what is the problem?”

Chloe didn't answer so Beca chose to fill Aubrey in. “When we were at my grandma's house, Chloe got a call from Julia. Her mom had fainted Saturday evening and Julia had called an ambulance. They had just arrived at the hospital when Julia called Chlo. Chloe asked me to take her home early and drive her to the hospital, which I did. She's fine now, I think.”

Aubrey's eyes had widened and she put a hand in front of her mouth that stood open in shock.

“Oh my god, is she alright, Chloe? I'm sorry but your 'I think' at the end didn't really fill me with a lot of confidence, Beca.”

Chloe decided to think about Beca's future later and concentrated on her friend.

“Don't worry Bree. She's fine for now, but you know as well as I do that every day could be her last.”

Aubrey nodded grimly and went around the table to give Chloe a comforting hug. Chloe embraced her best friend tightly and squeezed. She didn't let go of Beca's hand though and the new angle allowed Aubrey to see it.

She raised and eyebrow in Beca's direction who was watching them with a warm smile on her face. When she noticed Aubrey's look and made out the smirk on the blonde's face, she blushed brightly and chose to look out of the window.

When Chloe ended the hug Aubrey went around the table to sit down again and smirked at both of them.

“So...”

Chloe looked at her quizzically. “What?”

Aubrey rolled her eyes. “Don't play dumb. What else is new?”

Chloe tried to catch Beca's eyes but the brunette was busy staring out of the window at a ... Chloe squinted her eyes to see what Beca was looking at and saw couple kissing at the bus station across the street. Huh. 

Chloe tried to get Beca's attention by squeezing her hand and it worked. Beca turned around and looked at a smirking Aubrey and a questioning Chloe.

“... What?”

Aubrey couldn't hold it in anymore. “Oh for the love of... Are you finally together or not? This wait is killing me.”

The blush on Beca's cheeks and the wide grin on Chloe's face was answer enough for Aubrey.

“Finally! It took you guys long enough. I thought you would tear each others clothes off the second your eyes met at the activities fair.” 

Chloe only gaped and Beca tried to refuse that claim, even though she knew that it had been true. A little at least.

“That's... no... We wouldn't... I didn't...”

Aubrey laughed. “Don't even try, you'll break a brain cell. Anyway, I'm happy for both of you. But you know what is coming now Beca.”

Beca's eyes widened and she pressed her back into her seat tightly, trying to disappear into thin air.

Chloe giggled and watched in amusement as her best friend glared at her girlfriend.

“Listen up Mitchell. If you decide to hurt my best friend, there will be hell to pay. Do you understand me? I am a Posen and we have our ways to get what we want.”

Beca nodded frantically. 

Aubrey rolled her eyes and smiled. “Good. Now I really have to get going. I'm not even halfway finished with my assignment. See you guys at practice.”

She was already half out of the seat when Beca's confused question stopped her. “Wait, what? That was all? I expected a little more threatening and a little bit of force to bring home the point.”

Aubrey's perfectly shaped eyebrow rose once again. “Do I need to? Or do you want me to ask you where you've been yesterday? Seven days a week, hobbit. You were home a day early, you could have come to practice.”

Beca shook her head. “No, no it's fine. No need to ask more questions, we'll see you at practice then. Good luck with your assignment.”

“That's what I thought.” Aubrey said, hugged Chloe goodbye, waved at Beca and went to the counter to order the coffee she had originally wanted to get.

When the blonde had left, Beca let out a loud sigh.

“Well that went better than expected.”

Chloe nodded. “Yeah. But don't worry about Aubrey so much. A lot of bark and little bite. Only when some of her friends are in serious trouble. She actually likes you so you don't have to worry.”

“Okay. Hopefully you are right. So what was going on earlier? You have been so happy all morning and then suddenly you are going all gloomy on me. Have I done something?”

Chloe shook her head. “No, you haven't done anything. I just remembered something. I'll tell you later, okay?”

Beca looked at her sceptically but agreed. “Sure. So what are we going to do for the rest of the day? Both of our classes will start at 11 am. How about we meet up for lunch in the cafeteria. I've got another class after that and then we'll meet at Bella's practice at four pm? We should be done with that at around six I think. I don't want to step over any lines here but I'd really like to meet your mother. Maybe I can come with you when you visit her after practice?”

Chloe smiled brightly. “Sound good to me. And you aren't stepping over any lines. In fact mom has been pestering me for the last few weeks to introduce you two.”

Beca rose her left eyebrow. “So you've been talking about me, huh?”

Chloe blushed and lightly slapped her girlfriend's arm.

“Stop that. Of course I have, you are my roommate.”

“Right.” Beca nodded to herself and looked at their leftovers from breakfast. “I'm not hungry anymore. How about we get out of here? Our classes are only starting in one and a half hours. Want to go for a walk?”

Chloe nodded and Beca took care of the bill. They took their jackets and left the restaurant, hands firmly clasped together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter we'll visit mommy Beale and will probably have a little chat with Jesse. He still has to tell us all about his crush! They are finally together, yay! But there are still some problems ahead, we are not done with this story. I hope you liked this, and if you did, please leave a comment to let me know :)


	20. Chapter 20

That evening Beca and Chloe used the bus to get to the hospital. Beca had gone to her father earlier in the day, said thank you and returned the car. He had asked her if she wanted to eat lunch with him today but she had already made plans with Chloe and refused politely. She was really grateful that he had let her borrow the car but she didn't want to spent more time with him than necessary. She mumbled something about 'maybe some other time' before hurrying out of his office.

Practice had gone as well as expected. Meaning not so well. Chloe still couldn't sing at full power and still had to rest her voice as much as possible and Aubrey hadn't changed the set list over the weekend. Not that Beca had expected her to but it would have been nice. She was happy to see the girls again though. It felt like more than two and a half days had gone by since she last talked to them and she was happy to catch up with them.

They had finished practice at around 5.45 pm and Chloe and Beca had directly gone to the bus stop.

The girls sat next to each other and Beca was nervous. She was fidgeting in her seat and bouncing her feet up and down until Chloe put a hand on her knee to make her stop.

“What's wrong? You've become nervous the second we got on the bus. You don't have to meet my mom today if you don't want to.”

Beca shook her head and put her own hand on Chloe's that was still resting on the brunette's knee.

“I'm just nervous about meeting her. What if she doesn't like me? She is such an important person in your life, I don't want to make a bad first impression.”

Chloe laughed at that and kissed Beca lightly on the cheek.

“Don't worry about that Beca. She already loves you. And as soon as she sees with her own two eyes that you make me happy, you two won't have any problems. Relax, it will be fine. Remember what you told me about meeting your grandma? Everything went well, didn't it?”

Beca took a deep breath. “If you say so. But I'm still nervous. Your aunt won't be there, right? I don't know if I can handle meeting both of them at the same time.”

Chloe looked at Beca apologetically. “I don't know. But this is her usual time for visiting so she probably will be there.”

Beca slumped a little in her seat and let the air she had taken in escape slowly. “Well, I guess we'll see if she is there once we arrive. I'll manage. Somehow.”

Chloe smiled happily and enveloped Beca in a short hug. “Don't worry, you'll be fine. I'm so happy that you are meeting my mom, it really means a lot to me. I'm sure you two will get along great.”

A short buzzing alerted Beca that she had gotten a new message. She dug her phone out of her jeans pocket and unlocked the screen.

**Hey weirdo! Want to meet up and tell me all about your weekend? J**

Beca showed Chloe her phone and the redhead smiled.

“You want to go and visit him after we leave the hospital?”

Beca nodded. “If that's alright with you? I can just meet him tomorrow, he'll understand.”

Chloe shook her head. “No, don't be ridiculous. Mom is still tired and we probably shouldn't visit her all that long. An hour tops. You can go and visit him after that, I'll just go back to our room and get started on some homework.”

Beca smiled brightly and gave Chloe a short kiss in thanks. “Thanks Chlo.”

After typing out an answer for Jesse, she looked out of the window for a few seconds and then began laughing quietly.

The redhead turned her head to look at her girlfriend and where she was looking but she couldn't find anything that was funny enough to laugh about.

“What are you laughing about?”

Beca turned around and grinned at Chloe.

“I'm sorry. It's just that I've just realized that I'm totally whipped. We've been together for a day and I'm already asking you if I can hang out with my friends. Never thought I would be that girl.”

Chloe grinned. “Well, that's my good influence on you. But seriously, you don't have to do that. It's nice if you tell me where you are going so I won't worry but otherwise you can do what you want. I don't want you to change your behavior for me.”

Beca smiled at Chloe and thanked her with another kiss. “You're the best. That goes for you too, you know?”

Chloe nodded and smiled. Even if the weekend had some good and some not so good parts, it was mostly a success. She adored Beca's grandma and she finally got together with the brunette. Her mom was mostly fine and she had talked about her problems and Beca listened. Chloe was happy, apart for the small part in her that told her that Beca could be gone any day now. The brunette didn't want to go to college and Chloe didn't know if she had the right to make her stay. It was Beca's life and therefore her decision what to make of it. Chloe didn't want to be the girl that kept her from fulfilling her dreams, but the thought of her leaving felt like a stab through the heart.

“Hey Chlo, are you alright? You've gone silent and you look really serious all of a sudden. Is this about the thing from the restaurant? You said you'd tell me later and now is later. We still have fifteen minutes left until we'll arrive at the hospital.”

“You don't want to be here.”

Beca looked at her girlfriend with a confused expression on her face. “What? Of course I do. If this is about meeting your mom, I already told you I want to meet her.”

The redhead shook her head. “No, it's not about that. You don't really want to be here. At college I mean. You told me you wanted to move to LA but your dad made you go to college first. What if you decide that you tried but that college life wasn't for you and just leave for LA? I don't want to be the person who keeps you from your dreams but the thought of you leaving makes me feel sick.”

As soon as big round tears started falling out of Chloe's beautiful blue eyes, Beca quickly embraced the older girl and held her tightly.

“Shh Chloe, I won't go anywhere. I made a commitment to you by asking you to be my girlfriend and I intend to keep it. College isn't so bad. I like you and I like the Bellas. Then there is Jesse and the radio station. Classes have started to get more interesting, I'm sure I can learn a thing or two. LA won't run away and I can always start making contacts and stuff in the summer months or something. I won't give up my dream, but that dream now includes you so I adapted it. I won't leave you Chloe. I lo... like you. Very much. Don't worry so much.”

Chloe snuggled deeper into her girlfriends arms and hugged her tightly. “But I don't want to keep you from your dream.”

“You aren't. I still want to go to LA but I'll finish college first. I'll stay with you.”

Chloe's tear streaked face moved back from Beca's shoulder and looked her into her eyes. “Really?”

Beca smiled. “Really. Now dry your tears and get up. We're almost there. I don't want your mom to think that I made you cry. She'll hunt me down for hurting her baby.”

Chloe snorted. “She would. But I'll talk to her if she notices. So, are you ready to meet her?”

Beca looked nervous for a moment but steeled her nerves and nodded firmly.

Chloe smiled brightly and stood up. She took Beca's hand and pulled her out of the seat. “Okay then, let's go.” She announced happily and both girls exited the bus as soon as it stopped and opened it's doors.

Their hands remained intertwined while they made their way through the hospital halls until they reached a door with the number 318 on it.

“This is it.”

Beca straightened her back a little. “Yeah. Let's do this.”

Chloe smiled again and opened the door.

She hurried inside as she saw her mother sitting in her hospital bed and reading a book. “Mom!”

The older woman lifted her head from the pages and beamed at her daughter. “Sweetie! How are you?”

Chloe quickly enveloped her mom in a big hug. “I'm fine. I brought someone with me I thought you should meet.”

“Oh?” Claire Beale said as she let go of her daughter and looked at the fidgeting brunette girl that was still standing in the doorway.

“Yes mom, this is Beca.”

Beca gulped and then took a few steps closer until she stood next to Chloe. She held out her hand and stammered out an “Nice to meet you Mrs Beale.”.

Claire laughed lightly and pulled on Beca's outstretched arm until the brunette had no choice but to move closer to the bed. Chloe's mom pulled her into a short hug. “It's nice to meet you too Beca. Chloe has told me a lot about you. And please, call me Claire.”

Beca nodded automatically as Claire let go of her. She was still a little stunned by that unexpected move. But really, she shouldn't have been so surprised. That woman was Chloe's mother. Chloe must have gotten it from somewhere. Even if that side of Chloe mostly showed up in private or when Chloe was acting in front of other people. Beca made a mental note to talk with Chloe about that again later. It couldn't be healthy to always act like someone you're not.

Chloe grinned brightly, happy that her mom and Beca had finally met.

“She is beautiful, Chloe. Good job.” Claire winked at her daughter who laughed while Beca blushed brightly.

“Isn't she?”

“Yes yes, your girlfriend is very pretty, now tell me the long story how you two got together. That phone call yesterday evening was kind of short. I need details sweetie!”

Before Chloe could start a detailed retelling of the weekend, Beca chose that moment to speak up. “Um, while you are talking, do you mind if I go and get a coffee? I'll come back soon. Does anybody want one too? Or something to eat? I'm sure I can find some vending machines in this place.”

“Thank you Beca. Can you get me a coffee as well? We didn't mean to chase you away. Chloe can tell me about your weekend some other time.”

“No no, it's fine Claire. I was craving a coffee since Bella's practice ended anyway. You two talk and I'll be back in a few minutes. You want a coffee Chlo?”

Chloe nodded and sent a grateful smile in Beca's direction. The brunette girl returned the smile and went outside to fetch three cups of coffee.

She had only taken three steps from the door when she ran into a tall brunette woman.

“Oh I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going.” Beca apologized and looked at the older brunette with an apologetic expression on her face.

The older woman laughed and smiled at Beca. “Don't worry about it. Did you just come out of 318?”

Beca frowned. Why did she want to know? “Um, yes... Why do you want to know?”

The woman's smile widened and she laughed for a moment. “Oh, this is great. You must be Beca, right?”

The younger girl was starting to feel uncomfortable. “Um, yeah, I am. I kinda have to go now, so...”

Beca took two steps, trying to leave the strange woman behind her, when the woman's next words stopped her again.

“Don't freak out. Chloe told me about you, I'm her aunt Julia. I'm sorry if I confused you there.”

“Oh.” Beca said and stared at Julia.

“Are Chloe and Claire in there?” Julia asked, pointing at the door with the number 318 on it.

Beca nodded. “Yeah. They are catching up and I offered to get them some coffee so they have time to talk.”

Julia beamed at her. “Perfect! Why don't we go to the cafeteria and get those coffees? You want to drink one with me? I'm sure Claire and Chloe have a lot to talk about, let's give them some time. They didn't get a chance to catch up because Claire was mostly asleep when Chloe visited Saturday night.”

“Um, sure?”

“Great!” Julia turned around and started making her way to the cafeteria. Beca followed slowly, always half a step behind the other woman, not really knowing what to say to her.

Once they reached the cafeteria, Julia ordered two cups of black coffee for them after Beca nodded to Julia’s unasked question. They found a small table in the back of the room and sat down.

Both of them started sipping their hot beverages for a moment until Julia spoke up.

“So, Chloe told me you two are together now.”

Even though it wasn’t phrased like a question, Beca felt the need to answer. “Yes.”

“She told me that she told you about Claire and the accident.”

Beca nodded. “She did.”

“You know that it won’t be easy?”

“Yes.”

“You know that Claire has no chance of surviving?”

Beca gulped. Chloe had told her that it wasn’t looking good for her mom but she didn’t know that her death sentence had already been signed. “I didn’t. But Chloe told me that it’s not looking good.”

Julia sighed. “She only has a few months left. And that is exactly the reason why I am asking you if you can handle it. If Chloe will have to deal with the pain of loosing you because you couldn’t handle it after all on top of the pain of loosing her mother she will break. I can’t be here all the time, as much as I want to, and if you think it will be too much for you, just say so now. I won’t blame you and neither will Chloe.”

Beca stared at Julia with wide eyes but straightened her back as she made up her mind. “I won’t leave. I entered into this relationship knowing about Chloe’s situation. I accepted everything when I asked her to be my girlfriend.”

The older woman smiled brightly at Beca. “That’s what I wanted to hear. Now why don’t you tell me a little about yourself?”

The next fifteen minutes were spent in a somewhat comfortable conversation. Beca didn’t talk about herself so much usually but she wanted to make a good impression on Chloe’s aunt so she answered all of her questions.

They wrapped up their conversation, ordered two fresh coffees for Chloe and Claire and headed back to room 318.

They found mother and daughter laughing together about something Chloe was showing Claire on her phone.

Julia smiled at the sight and sat down on the other side of Claire’s bed.

Beca just chose to stand next to Chloe’s chair. She handed Chloe and Claire their coffees and put her hands in her jean’s pockets, not really knowing what to do with them, now that the coffee cups were gone.

“Thank you Beca.” Claire said with a smile and Beca just shrugged it off. Chloe squeezed Beca’s arm once in thanks but quickly returned her attention to her mother.

“So mom, do you know when you’ll get out of here?”

“I think they want to keep me here for the rest of the week just to be on the safe side. The doctor told me I could go home after that unless something unexpected happened.”

Chloe didn’t look happy. “A whole week? You’ve never been in here for more than five days at a time. Is it getting worse again?”

Claire sighed deeply and took one of Chloe’s hands into her own.

“You know that I won’t get better sweetie. It is expected that my stays will be longer each time I come here.”

Tears were swimming in Chloe’s eyes but she managed to keep them from spilling over. She knew that her mom won’t get better but she hadn’t lost hope yet. There were always miracles, right? She had read about some of them online and couldn’t help but hope that her mom would be lucky and survive despite the odds.

“I know.” She mumbled, her head dropping in sadness. Beca put her hands on Chloe’s shoulders and squeezed carefully, trying to comfort her girlfriend silently.

“Don’t look so sad. You should be happy, you have a girlfriend now. Doesn’t that make you happy?”

Beca wanted to say something along the lines of ‘I am right here’ but chose to keep her mouth shut. The mood wasn’t really calling for jokes or sarcastic comments.

It was startling for Beca to see Chloe’s flawless mask slipping into space now that she knew what to look for.

“You are right mom. I am happy. So, Julia, you obviously didn’t scare her away, are you loosing your touch?” the redhead teased her aunt who put a mock hurt expression on her face.

“On the contrary dear, I scared her so much, she wouldn’t dare to leave now. Right Beca?”

Not a hundred percent sure that the other woman was really joking, Beca nodded quickly. Claire and Chloe looked from Julia’s smug expression to Beca’s scared one until they looked at each other and started laughing.

“Oh my god Beca, she was joking. At least I hope she was, otherwise I would have to talk to her for trying to scare my girlfriend away.” Chloe said between her laughter.

“I knew that.” Beca scowled.

“Yeah, right.” Chloe snorted and patted Beca’s hand placatory.

Claire used the short silence to ask her sister a question. “I assume you approve?”

Julia looked at Claire and grinned. “I do. What about you?”

“Hm, I still have to have the 'If you hurt my daughter'-speech with Beca but other than that, I approve as well.”

Chloe was still sniggering but Beca didn't really know if she wanted to cry or laugh. On the one hand she was fairly certain that both women seemed to like her but on the other hand she really didn't want to get that talk.

“Leave her alone mom. Beca won't hurt me and if she does hurt me some day I will give her a piece of my mind. I'm sure Julia, Aubrey and you will be right behind me. She won't risk angering all of us, right?” She looked at Beca for a moment who quickly shook her head in the negative.

“Great. Now that that's out of the way, I think we should head out soon. You look really tired mom, get some sleep.”

“I will. I'm sorry but these meds make me really tired all of the time.”

Chloe sat up and leaned over her mom to give her another hug. “Don't worry about that. Get better quickly so you can come home soon, okay?”

Claire hugged her daughter tightly. “I will. Have a nice night sweetie. Do you have any plans?”

Chloe let go of her mom and shook her head. “Not really. Beca's meeting a friend after this but I will just head home and get started on homework. I've been neglecting my work over the last few days.”

Chloe moved over to her aunt and gave her a hug as well. The two of them said some quick goodbyes.

“So Beca, it was nice to meet you. Will you visit again?”

Beca smiled. “Of course I will. It was nice meeting you as well Claire. Get better soon.”

“Thanks. Take care of Chloe for me?”

“I promise.”

“Moooooom, I'm right here. Let's go Beca.”

Claire and Julia chuckled as Chloe pulled Beca out of the room who managed to wave a quick goodbye to both women.

As soon as they were in the hallway, Chloe let go of Beca and snatched her hand instead. They walked out of the hospital in silence and headed to the bus station.

“Your mom is nice. And your aunt too.”

“Thanks. You really think so? You are not just saying that?”

Beca shook her head. “No. Your aunt is really protective of you. I like that. And your mom seems to love you very much.”

The redhead nodded. “Yeah, she does. I love her too. She's literally became my world over the last two years. But I don't mind that, I only love her more for it.”

“Is it really looking so bad? Julia said she won't survive.”

Chloe dropped her head a little. “Yes. The doctor's told us last week that the possibility of her surviving are below 1 percent. They don't think she will make it much longer.”

Beca hugged Chloe tightly, trying to comfort her.

“I'm so sorry.”

“Yeah, me too. But there is nothing we can do. I will continue to hope for a miracle and spent as much time as I can with her.”

“Do you want me to stay home tonight? I don't want you to be alone when you are so emotional.”

Chloe gave Beca one last squeeze before she moved out of the hug because the bus had arrived.

They both got on and searched for some seats in the back. They sat down and intertwined their hands again.

“No, it's fine. You haven't seen Jesse in a while. And I really have to catch up on some work. If it gets too bad I'll call Aubrey. I will be fine.”

“You sure?”

Chloe nodded. “Yes. As long as you'll snuggle with me as soon as you come back, I'll be fine.”

Beca grinned at that. “That I can do.”

Chloe returned the grin. “I will be the redhead shamelessly sleeping in your bed.”

Beca snorted. “Yeah I assumed as much. You did tell me that you would never sleep 'all the way over there' again.”

Chloe just shrugged. “You are stuck with me now. Deal with it.”

“I wouldn't have it any other way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Finally! This thing has been sitting on my laptop for the last week and I finally got around to finishing it! I'm worried that people will think that the story will get boring now that they are together and Chloe's secrets are out but I'm going to write about the whole movie so there are many situations that still have to happen. I hope you will stick with me :) The ending is already planned but we have only just passed the half way mark of this story :) So if you liked it, please leave a little comment to let me know :)


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